


Thrawn

by Scribe32oz



Series: Tales of the Republic [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Action, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Resolved Sexual Tension, Space Battles, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-15 10:35:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14788895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribe32oz/pseuds/Scribe32oz
Summary: For months, Mary Travis has been a thorn in the side of the Empire with her military victories. However, a secret directive by the Emperor has a new hunter in search for the rebel commander and Grand Admiral Thrawn doesn’t intend to fail. With a fleet of star destroyers behind him, Thrawn’s devastating attack on the rebel base scatters Mary and the Seven in all directions as the chase begins. Running for their lives, Chris and Mary try desperately to avoid capture while faced with an enemy that for once, might be more than a match for either of them. Meanwhile Ezra Standish finally faces up to his potential...





	1. Slicers

 

The group of four men worked tirelessly on the task they had been set, too terrified to stop in case they missed something vital that could be the key to unlocking the decoding. Failure was not an option, not these days. In truth, they were fortunate because the commander they served was better than most. He was not quick to anger nor did he expect the impossible, just excellence. He had given them this duty because they were reputed to be the best code slicers in the Imperial fleet and he expected to live up to their reputation. The code they were required to dismantle in order to learn its frequency signature was a marvel in itself. There were so many safeguards and firewalls it was damn near impossible to navigate through it all and its construct was unlike anything seen before. It was the work of a mad man or a prodigy; the four could not make up their minds just yet.

It was not as if they had never seen rebel scrambler codes before. The nature of politics these days made it impossible for Imperial slicers to never come across such a thing. The Rebellion, considered fledgling at best, was starting to become more and more of an embarrassment for the Empire. Even though the Rebellion was hardly a military opponent that could take on the Imperial war machine with any measure of success, it did offer safe haven to any race who felt itself unfairly treated by the Emperor. Unfortunately, with Palpatine's new policies in place, the number of disgruntled citizens were growing with each passing day. Most did nothing about their dissatisfaction but others were flocking to the Rebellion, offering their support and collaboration. While outwardly, the Empire displayed no anxiety at the movement's capability to cause they any real opposition, behind the corridors of power, the attitude was very different indeed.

That attitude was the reason why the four men were working so feverishly to dismantle the code before them in order to trace it back to its origins. The transmission, sent from an electronic data storage facility on Bimissari, was meant for the rebel agent, Vin Tanner. A former bounty hunter and supposed Jedi apprentice, Tanner had allied himself with the rebels who were rumoured to be hiding in the Territory, a large body of uncharted space considered on the stellar charts as nothing more than Wild Space. It was not Tanner their commander was so interested in but rather the leader of the rebels in the Territory. Mary Travis. There was not an officer in the Imperial fleet who did not know who she was and when the slicer team final cracked the frequency signature of the transmission in their hands, it would lead the Empire straight to Mary Travis.

The slicer team was aware the Emperor had charged Grand Admiral Thrawn to personally supervise the capture of Mary Travis. Little was known about Thrawn other than the fact that he was a Grand Admiral and he was not human. He was in fact, the only non-human still left in the Imperial fleet and for those who did not know the man, his appointment to such a high rank was a matter of mystery. It was not such to those who served with Thrawn. As far as they were concerned, as masterfully as Mary Travis had managed to run circles around the Empire so far, her skill was amateurish in comparison to Thrawn's capabilities in battle. An attempt had been made to invade his home world and Thrawn, leading a number of smaller frigates, no match for the Imperial destroyers, had turned that invasion fleet into an Imperial massacre.

Shortly after, the Emperor brought Thrawn to Coruscant and entrusted him with a rank worthy of his genius.

If anyone was to be given the duty of capturing Mary Travis, it would have to be Thrawn. The Grand Admiral had not wasted his time combing the space ways as done by so many others sent to capture the elusive rebel leader. No, Thrawn had bid his time and watched carefully the machinations of Darth Vader whose determination to capture the rebel Vin Tanner, had inadvertently given Thrawn the opening he needed to find Travis once and for all. The transmission they were currently working on so diligently would provide a frequency signature once they unlocked the secrets to its coding. After that it would be a simple matter of tracing all signals departing Bimissari at the time and following it to its source.

The team worked on it for almost a week, offering the Grand Admiral's adjutant the proper status reports to ensure Thrawn did not come down himself to their sector and shake the answer from them. Instead, the man was surprisingly patient about their progress, aware his reputation for mercy would do more to inspire their incentive then threats upon their continued survival. Lieutenant Pallaeon stated the Admiral preferred them to be right rather than quick and so the team left no stone uncovered and conducted their work thoroughly. The freedom to carry out the chore in this fashion allowed their progress to continue swiftly and after what seemed an exhaustive exercise in decoding, they were met with success. The code was broken and though the team confessed a desire to meet the unorthodox designer, they were more appreciative of the fact the work was been done and that they had results to present to the Grand Admiral.

That and the fact that they were still alive to savour their success.

If it had been anyone else but Thrawn, failure would have engendered fatal consequences. However, for this occasion, the only fatalities arising out of this whole situation would fall squarely on the shoulders of the rebellion and Mary Travis.

* * *

Grand Admiral Thrawn sat in his command chair on board the star destroyer  _Chimaera_  and mediated quietly as he waited for his young adjutant to approach with his report. The  _Chimaera_  had been in orbit around Bimissari for the past week now and while other commanders might be impatient by the period of time spent in inert activity, Thrawn merely used the time perfect the trap he had been setting for some time now. The perfect traps were never constrained by time if they were precise in their planning and he had no wish to terrify his people into performing out of fear for their lives. The slicers he assigned the task of taking apart the transmission were the best there were to be found in the fleet. Thrawn knew if those four men could not achieve success, then it would not be attained at all. The best course of action was to sit back and let them do their jobs. Too many commanders wasted resources by executing personnel who could not accomplish tasks fast enough. Thrawn was not one of these. He expected excellence from those under his command, not miracles.

Lieutenant Pallaeon stepped away from the communications terminal where he had been carrying a number of assignments on the Grand Admiral's behalf. For Pallaeon, there had been nothing more rewarding than working for such a great man. Thrawn's command style ensured those who served under him were more than willing to die for him. He was not only a good military commander but a brilliant strategist. The only thing keeping him from ascending further was the fact very few people knew of the Grand Admiral's existence. Part of the secrecy surrounding Thrawn had to do with his race but Pallaeon liked to think Palpatine preferred to keep Thrawn's existence a secret in order to take his enemies by surprise when he unleashed the Grand Admiral.

"Admiral," Pallaeon announced himself as he approached, not knowing how else to intrude on Thrawn's mediation. "The  _Nimbus_  and the  _Raptor_  have just come out of hyperspace."

Thrawn opened his eyes and stared at Pallaeon for a moment, absorbing the information. "What about the  _Shadowstar_?" 

"The  _Shadowstar_  is in the Tion Cluster but Commander Daris has stated if we give him the coordinates, he can meet us in Siraj when we arrive ourselves."

"No." Thrawn shook his head. "I prefer not to tip our hand too quickly Lieutenant. Tell him we will rendezvous in the Cordoba star system. There is a riddle there to which I wish solved before we proceed any further. We shall take care of our business there and proceed to Siraj after."

"Cordoba Sir?" Pallaeon looked at him with some measure of surprise, unaware of the Admiral having mentioned the place prior to this moment. "Is that not one of our smaller outposts, a monitoring station for the Territory?"

"Yes," Thrawn remarked. "I have been keeping my eye on that particular region of space and there seems to be unusual amount of rebel activity that appears by my reckoning to have gone unnoticed by the commander of the Cordoba base. Either he is incredibly incompetent which is hardly what his service record seems to indicate or he is not what he appears. In any case, I will know which one he is."

"Yes Sir," Pallaeon nodded and started to turn away in order to fulfil his request.

"Lieutenant," Thrawn spoke up before he could get more than two steps away. "When giving Commander Daris his new orders, be certain to impress upon him that should he choose to share what we are planning to do with the rest of the fleet, I will ensure there will be less pieces of him then there will be of the rebel base when we are done."

Pallaeon swallowed, perfectly aware that it was no idle threat. Thrawn was not prone to revenge but like everything else he undertook, Pallaeon was certain he would do it well. "You think he would betray us Sir?"

"Not really," Thrawn said casually. "However, the man is stupid and loud, with an ego to match. This strike needs to be surgical because our enemy is a commander I  _respect_  and she has no peer in the fleet, save myself. I will not allow her to escape because if she does, it will be exceedingly difficult to resume the hunt and I have no intention of disappointing the Emperor."


	2. Situation Abnormal

"Mary!" Louisa Perkins cried out with no small measure of exasperation.

"NO!" Mary Travis barked back as she stormed out of her office, hoping the morale office would take the hint and leave her alone.

Unfortunately she did not.

"You're being unreasonable!" Louisa strode after her, not about to let the rebel commander slink out of giving her an answer no matter how intractable she might appear on the matter. Louisa had worked with Mary Travis long enough to know when the woman was absolute in her refusal and when she was being difficult. Her petulant manner seemed to indicate on this occasion, the commander of the Siraj base of the Rebel Alliance was being the latter.

"I'm not being unreasonable, what you’re proposing is…is…undignified!" Mary exploded after wrestling with the correct word. Coming to the conclusion Louisa was not going to let the matter drop, Mary paused in the middle of the corridor to confront the morale officer on this matter once and for all. "This is a military base! Not boarding school for bored teenagers!"

"Oh give me a break!" Louisa stared at the commander as if she were throwing a childish tantrum. The exchange was drawing the attention of most people walking past the commander and the captain, though none dared to make any comment on it because this was hardly the first time the two women had engaged in such public disagreements. Ever since her arrival on the rebel base, the arguments between Captain Perkins and Commander Travis were almost attaining legendary status, much to the chagrin of those closest to them.

"We're talking about entertainers!" Louisa exploded in frustration. "Not Twileki dancing girls with no clothes on!"

Two officers paused in mid step at that remark and stared at Mary hopefully.

"Forget it." She hissed and sent them scurrying before turning back to Louisa. "You see, this is what comes of ideas like this! I mean I'm not even taking into consideration the security nightmare this is going to cause!"

"Mary," Louisa said trying to calm down herself before her own temper got the better of her. "I wouldn't bring this up unless I considered those details already. I am a military officer, despite what you think and I am aware of the knife's edge we walk so I am perfectly aware of all the security considerations that must be taken into account before they arrive. However, I might also add these are entertainers, singers, dancers, conjurers and jugglers. They are members of the cause and know they are more use to us as entertainers rather than soldiers. They’ve already performed on a dozen of our others bases and so far none of them have managed to be reduced to radioactive mush!"

"It reeks of trouble!" Mary declared, starting to really hate this whole idea because it was growing on her. In truth, she supposed it might not be a bad idea if her command had a few days of entertainment. After all, the dynamics of rebel membership made it impossible for its troops and officers to get any kind of recreation other than what was available on hand, which was not much. The lack of it diminished morale and efficiency, not to mention everyone being wound so tightly the slightest provocation would set of a powder keg of trouble she did not need right now. "I just don’t like it." .

"Of course you don't like it!" Louisa returned sharply, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Since have you  _ever_  liked anything that was fun? I mean at the Academy! We'd all want to sneak out to go town and you'd be the one who'd want to think it wasn’t worth the waste of study time!"

"It was!" Mary exclaimed trying to justify herself but unable to deny perhaps Louisa was right, she might have been a little  _too_  eager to thread the straight and narrow in the past but she would die before admitting to that to this woman.

"How can such an able commander be such a complete....." Louisa started to mutter under her breath.

"Ladies." Josiah Sanchez suddenly interrupted with his soothing voice, after having come across the scene and deciding their 'debate' was being conducted in a venue too public for the ex-Senator's liking. It was not as if it was anything new to the rebels of the Siraj base but it did not do for two senior officers to be screaming at each other like children. "Do you think you could keep it down a little? This is hardly the place to be having one of your  _infamous_  arguments."

"It's not an argument," Louisa said haughtily, her gaze challenging Mary to say it was any different. "It’s a request which she shouldn't be turning down! At least not without good reason."

"You're not going to leave me alone until I say yes are you?" Mary glared at her with an exasperated sigh, wishing this whole matter and Louisa Perkins, not necessarily in that order was something she could dispatch into the brig with the minimum of fuss.

"Nope." Louisa stated defiantly with a smirk across her face. "This is my job and I say that if you don't allow these people to let off a bit of a steam and enjoy themselves, they're going to start killing each other. They’re under a great deal of pressure as it is, being confined here when they’re not fighting a damn near invincible enemy. More than anything, they need to know what it is to take a breath and relax!"

"I am perfectly aware of that,  _Captain_." Mary frowned in reluctant agreement because Louisa had brought forth some very valid points that should not be dismissed, despite her personal dislike of the suggestion to improve the situation. Even if the ‘entertainment’ as Louisa called it was not to her taste, Mary still ought to be giving the matter the consideration it deserved.

"Alright," she conceded mostly because she wished to be done with the whole subject. "I'm approving your request pending a security report on how these people are getting to my base without alerting the entire Imperial command to our presence."

"Well  _thank you_." Louisa said sardonically. "Look at what I have to work with here." She glanced at Josiah for sympathy. "I mean show a little optimism will you Mare?"

"Go away Captain," Mary threatened with a menacing gleam in her eyes. "Go away before I shoot you."

"I'm going," the captain grinned, "Only because I have to be ray of sunshine in the face of your constant gloom." With that she took herself off down the corridor away from Mary and Josiah.

"I'd like to use a ray on her alright." Mary growled as she watched Louisa go and turned back to Josiah. "I hate her. I hate her lots."

"Well as long are we're being mature about this." The older man gave her an impatient stare. "You know what the problem with you two is?"

"That she’s an insufferable cow?" 

"That you’re both alike." Josiah said with equal smugness in his voice.

"If you didn’t technically outrank me, I’d have you thrown of my base for saying that." Mary pointed out with a raised brow.

"And that is why there is still order in our universe." He grinned at her. "Now if I continue on my way, do you think you are capable of managing to not get into trouble or should I fulfil my promise to your father to keep an eye on you by following you around like I used to do when you were a teenager?"

"I  _never_  got into trouble as a teenager." Mary said proudly.

"No you didn’t but you seemed more mature then." Josiah teased.

"Don’t you have somewhere to be  _Senator_?" She asked, hands on her hips as she glared at him with mock offence.

"As a matter of fact I do. I’ll see you later." He replied before going on his way as well.

Mary watched him go before deciding to take a little walk through the base for a little break. She had been at her desk all morning and the encounter with Louisa was all she needed to know that it was time for a little relaxation. Besides, it had been some time since she had taken a stroll through her command to see how things were going outside her the walls of her office. At the moment, things were relatively quite beyond the usual assignments the rebellion did in undermining Imperial authority as well as gathering their forces in secret. She supposed the stretches of time where nothing took place was part of the reason why people were starting to climb the walls as Louisa so quaintly put it during the opening act of her argument.

"Commander," Mary heard a familiar voice call after her as she was approaching the hangar bay and paused to look over her shoulder at the sight of Colonel Audrey King, one of her more experienced fighter squadron leaders. Audrey had been a veteran of the Clone Wars and served the Empire until her squadron was assigned a mission to bomb a civilian target, an order she refused and was later court-martialled for disobeying. As far as Mary was concerned, the Rebellion was lucky to have her.

"Have you got a minute?" She spoke out as she neared Mary.

"Sure Colonel," Mary slowed her pace and allowed the woman to catch up with her. "What can I do for you?"

"Well we need to boost our fighter ranks." Audrey replied. "We’ve had a couple of skirmishes and while my pilots are good, I think we need the extra manpower. It will be some time before Lieutenant Dunne is ready to take out this new Rogue squadron you've got planned and I'd like to schedule some training exercises. Particularly in close quarters combat."

"Buck's the one to talk to about that." Mary suggested. "The man is gifted. He's also a good teacher. He's done marvels with JD."

"I agree," Audrey nodded. "Except I can't seem to make the suggestion without his making his usual forward pass."

"Oh that?" Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes, when randy was handed out, Buck got more than his share."

"I'm flattered of course," Audrey chuckled, "just _not_ interested."

"He'll be crushed." Mary retorted. "Still, you make a valid point."

Upon entering the hanger, Mary and Audrey caught sight of the Corellian pilot. It was a common sight whenever he had free time to find Buck Wilmington making some modification to his ship. If he was not making additions to the craft then he was usually fine tuning the existing system. Usually JD Dunne would be aiding him in the endeavour and on rare occasions, Chris Larabee might even lend a hand. There were times when Buck conducted such work on Vin Tanner's ship, the _Tracker_. Whatever he called it, there was no doubt that Buck's primary reason for working on the  _Rogue_  or the  _Tracker_  for that matter, was because he loved tinkering.

It was his  _second_   favourite thing.

On this occasion, Buck appeared to be conducting a minor overhaul of his ship's sensors. Components were lying on a greasy sheet of canvas on the nearby workbench as Buck carried out the task of cleaning each part for re-assembly. Mary wondered if there was truly a need for such major work or was Buck just bored and giving himself something to do. The thought unhappily surfaced the possibility that her command's need for relaxation might not be as outlandish or undeserved as she thought. Mary frowned inwardly at the idea Louisa might be right. Although lately, the captain had been doing much to alleviate Buck Wilmington's morale considerably. They had been constant companions of late much to Mary's horror but she supposed there was no accounting for taste.

"Hello Buck." Mary announced herself when she reached the handsome Corellian.

"Hey Mary," Buck's reaction was that trademark boyish grin that had the power over so many women. "Colonel King, couldn't stay away from me huh?" He joked.

"Oh get over yourself," Mary interceded before Buck could throw another forward pass at the squadron leader. "We're here on business."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Buck smiled mischievously at the older woman.

"Well  _you_  are trying." Audrey chuckled.

"Children please?" Mary cut in once again. "Do I have to put you two flyers in different sandboxes?"

Buck and Audrey exchanged a look as they stifled verbal bantering and allowed Mary to get on with her proposal. "Audrey's suggested we might start some training exercises on close quarter aerial combat. I think its a good idea. TIE fighter pilots undergo something similar and if we don't teach our pilots to compete, a lot of them are going to die."

"I agree," Buck nodded, sounding the complete professional now. "It takes a lot of instinct to do that though. Pilots got to rely on more than just instrumentation and computers. There aren't many that can do that. You got a short list Colonel?"

"I have a few candidates in mind." Audrey volunteered. "These are the same names I've put forward for Rogue squadron when the new X-wings are built."

"Well JD's definitely got to be in. The kid's the best gunner we got." Buck replied without being able to hide his pride in the boy.

"Why Buck, I didn't know you cared!" JD chuckled as he entered the conversation, wrapping an arm around Buck's neck in a wholly inappropriate manner.

"Boy," Buck pried his arm from around his neck, "I told you, you need to date more."

"Hey Finn," JD glanced at the young blond pilot who had just come off patrol with him. Both youths were still wearing their flight suits and had just left their ships to the ministrations to the technicians who would run the standard post-flight maintenance. "Buck's missing me."

"Drop dead." Buck shoved the younger man away with a bemused smile. "Kids today."

"Anything to report?" Mary asked JD as he and Finn, the new pilot from Sollust, amused themselves at Buck's expense.

Since arriving at the Siraj base, JD and Finn had become fast friends, mostly because both of them were the same age and had come from backwater rural planets where they were still a little overwhelmed by the situation they found themselves in. Buck seemed to encourage the friendship, claiming it would not hurt for the young man to spend some time with people his own age.

"No Sir," Finn replied first. "Its quiet."

"I don't like it when its quiet," Mary sighed. "Too many reasons for things to go wrong."

"I SAID NO!" Nathan Jackson's voice boomed behind them.

"Don't like the quiet huh?" Buck said innocently and received a scathing glare from Mary before she turned to see what was annoying the command officer to such a display.

Nathan Jackson was storming towards them with Casey Wells following closely, immediately ending speculation for the captain's ire. For the past few weeks, Casey had been pestering Nathan to allow her to reconfigure all the communications codes with a new system she had devised. Since communications section of the base was one of Nathan's responsibilities, Mary had left it in his hands to deal with the young woman. While Casey's idea had merit, there was a great deal of risk in allowing her to dismantle the entire system to make her configurations and the young girl did not know how to take no for answer.

"But Nathan, it will work!"

"Girl, do you  _want_  me to eject you into space?" Nathan glared at her as he came towards Mary. The young woman had intercepted him on his way to find his commanding officer, once again bombarding him with the possibility of allowing her to do what she wished on his communications station which he had no intention of doing.

"Nathan, you're being silly." Casey declared as if she was the adult and he was the pest for not letting her try what was clearly a brilliant idea. "I mean it will make things work faster because no Imperial agent is going to crack my codes!"

"Unfortunately we won't know that until we install the damn thing and let it work and if by any chance you're wrong, we'll all DIE!" Nathan growled.

"Now that was harsh," Buck grimaced.

"But Nathan, I'm only trying to help." She said in a small voice, her expression disappearing from that of a capable young woman to a little girl, disappointed and hurt.

"Oh no you don't!" He glared at her as he saw her face starting to break into a tearful expression. "You're not doing that to me!"

"I just wanted to make things safer for everybody." Her lips curled into a little pout. A bat of lashes and a glimmer of moisture in her eyes was all it took.

 Nathan threw his hands up in exasperation and cried defeat. "ALRIGHT, you can try it but not just yet. In a week or two okay?"

"Really?" Casey exclaimed brightly. "You mean it?"

"Yes," Nathan rolled his eyes, wondering how at his age, he could be affected by the sight of tears at his age! "I mean it." 

"Oh you won't regret it!" Casey beamed brightly and hugged him hard. "I'm going to get things ready right now so that it will be perfect!"

"You do that." Nathan growled. "Just go do it somewhere else."

"Yes Sir." She saluted and hurried off, beaming while Nathan was shaking his head in disbelief at how he had fallen for  _that_  old trick.

"You know," Mary glanced at Audrey as they viewed the exchange and its inevitable end as Nathan started towards them again. "I'd forgotten how well that works."

"Yeah," the corner of Audrey's lips crooked into a little smile. "Its been awhile."

"Oh come on Nathan," JD cried out, never being able to remain silent where Casey was concerned. "You gonna let her get away with that?"

"I don't know JD," Finn remarked "I mean Casey's pretty smart, she could make it work." JD's new friend came to the lady's rescue.

"Are you kidding? She's a pain in the ass snotty blue blood!" JD exclaimed, wondering if Finn had suddenly gone insane.

"I think she's kind of nice." Finn admitted reluctantly.

"Nice?" JD stared at him. "What do you mean nice?" However, his tone was decidedly suspicious.

"I mean nice." Finn started to get uncomfortable and decided to leave this subject and the scene while he still could. "You know  _girl_  nice."

"Girl nice?" JD demanded and was not about to let him go without an answer. "What do you mean  _girl_  nice...."

None of the others said a word until after the two young men were out of earshot.

"What just happened?" Nathan looked at the other around blankly and feeling as if he walked into the middle of a play.

"Oh I think JD's just discovered another rooster in the hen house." Buck grinned, reminding himself he had better have a talk to the young man when time permitted or else the kid was going to challenge Finn for the Casey's hand especially when he so  _obviously_  had no feeling for her.

"Nathan," Mary asked after shaking her head at what she had just witnessed. "This idea of hers. Is it feasible?"

"Yes," Nathan nodded. "Extremely feasible once its working but also extremely difficult to implement, we'd have to rip out half the wiring to replace it with the kind that will do what she says it will."

"Casey's proved to be quite the slicer." Buck spoke in the girl's defence. "She knows code like I know women."

"God," Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Just let it go," Mary said with a sigh. "Let's just play it by ear before we decide to go ahead. I don't want our com system getting a major overhaul in case something happens."

From the corner of her eye, Mary saw Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner emerge from one of the unoccupied berths in the hangar bay. Chris often used the space to continue Vin's Jedi training because it was secluded and saw little chance of them being interrupted by interested onlookers. On this occasion, it had been the first time in weeks that Vin had been able to resume his lessons since he had been injured at the hands of Darth Vader on Ithor. Chris immediately made eye contact with Mary and approached, hiding his pleasure to see her behind a seemingly indifferent facade. Vin however, appeared as if he had been pushed to his limits as he was covered in perspiration as he towelled the moisture from his bare arms as he came towards them.

"Something up?" Chris asked as he arrived even though his Jedi senses detected nothing in the emotional states of his friends to indicate trouble.

"Not really," Buck answered continuing to work on his parts on the bench. "Just JD discovering that he don't like anyone else paying attention to Casey."

"If I recall you were the same Buck," Chris reminded with a little smile. "The first time Ezra looked at Inez."

"Die painfully Larabee," Buck scowled at him.

"Someday maybe," Chris grinned. "But not today."

"Get over it Buck," Nathan added. "It looks like Ezra and Inez are a permanent thing."

In truth, Nathan could not deny he was just a little biased on this point. He liked the idea of Ezra finding someone finally. For two long, his old friend had kept people at arms length, men and women alike. Inez was the first woman with whom Nathan had ever seen Ezra form such a deep connection, much as it was to Buck Wilmington's annoyance. "Besides, I thought you and Louisa are together these days."

"Don't mention the L word!" Vin hissed jokingly, making pointing gestures at Mary, who promptly swatted him on the back of the head playfully.

"I wish you two would get a long," Chris sighed. "I mean you are so much..."

"Finish that statement and I will see to it that you die painfully." She warned.

Chris laughed, unable to hide the fact he enjoyed watching Mary and Louisa argue sometimes. It was extremely entertaining and one of the few perverse pleasures the Jedi Knight allowed himself. "So did she get you to agree to the entertainers?"

"You know about that?" She stared at him in surprise.

"Yeah," Buck replied, eager to get his revenge at Chris's earlier statement about his jealousy over Ezra's and Inez's relationship. "Tell Mary how you are acquainted with a troop of entertainers, Christopher."

Mary saw the smirk on Buck's face and knew this had to be good. "Chris?"

The Jedi expression turned stormy and menacing as he sent daggers in Buck's direction before realizing Mary was expecting an answer. "Its a long story." He muttered, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Sure it is." Buck sniggered under his breath.

"Okay, this is killing me. What is it?" Vin stared at Chris, able to tell from his friend's guarded emotions this had to be an amusing story if not a highly embarrassing one.

"Nothing." Chris grumbled at the triumphant smirk on Buck's face. "Buck, I'll get you for this."

"Chris," Mary insisted. "I demand to know." She stared at him with arms folded, giving him that look of determination telling everyone present she would be relentless in acquiring an answer from the Jedi.

"I'm not telling you Mary." He said abruptly and started to make a hasty retreat. Hopefully, she would let it go at that.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

"Chris!" Mary started after him. "You're not getting away that easily."

"Buck," Vin turned to the pilot as Chris strode out of the hangar, with Mary in pursuit, firing the same question and appeared as if she would continue to do so until he responded. "You are a bastard, you know that?"

"Just for that," Buck met the younger man's eyes with a wicked gleam in his own. "I won't tell you about him and the lady acrobat either."


	3. Unmasked

The minute Ezra Standish was told that the destroyer,  _Chimaera_ _,_ had arrived in Cordoba system first, followed closely by the  _Nimbus_  and the  _Phoenix,_  he was visited by an ominous feeling of great personal danger even though he did not understand why. Ezra who was very much a creature of instinct, knew when to take such feelings seriously and one could not do anything but take three heavy battle cruisers very seriously indeed. Although he tried not to jump to conclusions as to what they were doing in Cordoban space, Ezra knew he was a fool if he thought it was for any reason other than the Rebel Alliance. Only the Alliance could justify the dispatching of three star destroyers to a remote location as the Territory and Wild Space.

What disconcerted him even further was the fact he had heard nothing about the trio’s arrival until they appeared above the skies of Cordoba. Normally the movements of heavy battle cruisers would generate some talk through the ranks, even if it were mere supposition or rumour. However, in this instance, there had been nothing. It was as if the three ships appeared out of nowhere. Secrecy of this magnitude required planning from the highest levels of power and Ezra wondered who commanded the small fleet. He knew it could not be Vader for the dark lord never travelled without the superstar destroyer  _Executor_ and last Ezra heard it was presently at Coruscant. The whereabouts of most Imperial commanders who would be entrusted this fleet were accounted for which only serve to deepen Ezra’s anxiety because this whole situation spoke of an unknown player and that was always cause for concern.

"Any idea on who is commanding the  _Chimaera_?" Ezra asked as he studied the trio of ships displayed on the scanner grid. Within his command  center of the Cordoba station, activity was pitched with excitement by the arrival and everyone's attention was focused on the status of the large battle cruisers.

"No." Lieutenant Julia Pemberton, Ezra’s second in command shook her head in response. "I didn’t even know they had commissioned a ship named that."

"The  _Chimaera  _has been around for two years," Ezra’s adjutant, Claire Moseley answered promptly. The young woman always seemed to be a veritable fountain of information. Claire always seemed to know what was going on and had a remarkable talent for gathering intelligence and keeping abreast of everything of importance to him. "There’s not much information on its commission other than its existence. I do know that many of its officers are top Academy graduates. Whomever is in command demands the very best staff."

This did not alleviate Ezra’s growing concern. All this seemed to prove was someone with a great deal of power and a formidable arsenal was coming to his station. He tried not to think about what implications this could have on the rebel base hidden in the Siraj system since he had no proof whatsoever that it was the reason for the presence of the attack fleet over Cordoba. However, his gut instincts said otherwise and Ezra, who relied on those instincts in almost everything he did, could not abandon them now.

"Send our greetings, Julia." Ezra instructed coolly. His sea coloured eyes was fixed on the digital blips on the scanner grid, almost as if he could dissect their purpose here if he stared at them long enough. The fact he could not left him even more disturbed. "The usual."

"Yes Sir." Julia Pemberton answered, giving him a sidelong glance.

Ezra did not react but he was certain his first officer was trying to discern what he was thinking. Ezra made it no secret he knew why Julia had been assigned to him. When he had encountered Darth Vader, Ezra had managed successfully to block his thoughts from the dark lord, that coupled with the fact he saved Vader’s life had earned him the man’s severest displeasure which resulted in Julia being assigned to Cordoba. Ezra had no doubt she was Vader’s creature and her sole purpose was to spy on him and satisfy the dark lord’s suspicion he was a traitor.

"Commander," Julia rose her eyes from the communications terminal where she had just offered the orbiting ships the usual salutary welcome. "I’ve just received a message from Lieutenant Pallaeon, adjutant to Grand Admiral Thrawn. They will be arriving shortly by shuttle."

"Grand Admiral?" Claire found herself responding with a hushed breath.

Ezra ignored her exclamation. "Inform the Lieutenant we will be honoured to receive the Grand Admiral."

"Yes Sir," she nodded once more and turned to the screen to carry out his order.

No sooner than he had finished speaking, Claire came up to him and asked quietly. "I’ve never heard of a Grand Admiral Thrawn."

"Neither have I but he obviously exists since very few impostors bearing that title would have the three destroyers to legitimize their claim." Ezra returned dryly. His indifference masked his growing worries that the situation was critical. The number of soldiers obtaining the rank of Grand Admiral in the Imperial fleet could be counted on one hand and they had sent this one  _here_.

"What could he want here?" She asked softly, making certain Julia was not capable of hearing them when she made that inquiry.

"I have some idea." Ezra replied softly, shifting his gaze just enough to make eye contact with the younger woman.

She swallowed thickly, trying not to show his speculation frightened her. Unfortunately, it was too late for that. She stepped away from him at that point, to avoid appearing suspicious. However, as she pulled away, Ezra distinctly heard her mutter under her breath, one word.

 _Chano_.

* * *

The Grand Admiral did not waste any time making his arrival at the Cordoba base. Less than an hour after the  _Chimaera_  settled into orbit around the planet, his shuttle was descending onto the deck of the Imperial outpost. A full honour guard was in attendance, as protocol demanded but Ezra was fairly certain the man would not be interested in such pageantry. However, as commander of the outpost the Grand Admiral would be visiting, Ezra was required to show the man the full measure of respect for someone of his rank. In truth, Ezra was somewhat curious to meet a Grand Admiral. Such an entity was scarce in Ezra's previous military experience. The rank itself was not in the usual military chain of command and was usually handed out when the person in question had exhibited exception military ability. Since Ezra had never heard of Thrawn before this day, he wondered how the man could have distinguished himself to earn such an accolade.

As Ezra awaited Thrawn's appearance, he could not help but feel uneasy, not simply because of the danger he suspected to the Rebel Alliance but also on a more personal level. For months now, he had walking a tight rope between the Empire and the Alliance, trying not to make a choice but unable to deny that his actions regarding the Rebellion had cleared marked his loyalties as being for the latter. Initially, Ezra's reason for aiding the rebels was to ensure his best friend, Nathan Jackson did not come to any harm since he was one of them. However, Ezra's attachment to the movement had grown beyond those simple parameters. He protected the Rebellion at great cost to himself, not only because of Nathan but also because of Buck Wilmington, Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, JD Dunne, Josiah Sanchez and the slew of people who had suddenly come to mean so much to him. They were his friends. There was a time when only Nathan shared that distinction but now he was part of the Seven as Mary called the group of men who aided in their own way, the rebel cell under her command.

Ezra could not deny that he liked being apart of the Seven.

Ezra enjoyed being with Nathan and it felt like old times, without the memories of tragedy or ideological differences marring their friendship as it had in the years prior to Nathan's membership in the rebellion. When he was with the six men, he felt like he was a part of something, more so than any other point in his life. Despite himself, Ezra was tired of being the loner and carrying out orders that was making it harder and harder for him to sleep at night. Most of all, he was tired of the duplicity, the danger of walking the razor's edge between loyalty and treason, of being neither one thing nor the other. Too much of his life had been spent on the outside looking in, he just wished he trusted enough to let down the defences that always kept him an outsider.

Such thoughts swirled around in his head and Ezra knew he could not be distracted like this with Thrawn's arrival on his station only moments away. Returning himself to the here and now, he saw the shuttle had landed and the ramp was lowering from the hull of the craft to the steel deck. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted the collar of his uniform and glanced at Julia who seemed glacial in her preparation to receive the Grand Admiral.

For reasons he could not fathom, she looked like she was the lady of the house at his side. The thought made him look at her in away he never considered before and wondered whether fear or insanity was making him regard her as a woman and not the thorn in his side she had been. He shook the notion out of his mind and faced front again, deciding he was definitely at a crossroads in his life if he was starting to entertain such notions about Julia Pemberton. Perhaps it was time he started thinking seriously about putting this double life behind him.

Thrawn's emergence from the shuttle immediately forced any other thought from Ezra Standish' mind.

The man who appeared out of the shuttle's hatchway was garbed in a white Imperial uniform, as rarely seen as Grand Admirals. His skin was indigo blue and his eyes were crimson in their colour and their intensity. Thrawn's eyes swept across the faces approaching him and in flash of insight, Ezra knew this man was a greater danger to him than Darth Vader could ever hope to be. The nature of Vader's beast saw the dark lord extracting information through his Jedi abilities; however, this man did not use that technique. His was far subtler and a good deal more damning when proven right.

Thrawn was not the Force. He was logic in all its cold, clinical ruthlessness. And the way he was scrutinizing Ezra told the commander of the Cordoba base that Thrawn's high-powered perception was presently aimed at him.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn," Ezra greeted when he reached Thrawn. Behind him, Julia and Claire had followed side by side. "It is an honour to meet you Sir and you as well Lieutenant Pallaeon. It is often nice to attach a face to the name."

Pallaeon bowed slightly in gracious acceptance of that greeting while Thrawn continued to stare, appearing pleasant enough but then most predators did before they struck. Preferring to give the man the benefit of the doubt for the moment even though every defence mechanism built into Ezra Standish was presently on full alert.

"This is my first officer, Lieutenant Pemberton and my adjutant, Lieutenant Moseley." Ezra said pleasantly, aware Thrawn had yet to speak and wondered why. The Grand Admiral's penetrating gaze was fixed tautly on Julia now and Ezra could see his first officer starting to flinch.

"Tell me Lieutenant Pemberton," Thrawn lips curled into a little smile as he spoke. "Has anyone ever told you that you bear a striking resemblance to one of the Emperor's Hands?"

Julia's eyes widened so abruptly Ezra knew without a doubt Thrawn was perfectly aware she was exactly who he claimed her to be. Ezra watched her becoming flustered and she darted her eyes in his direction, confirming even further what the Grand Admiral revealed to be the truth.

"Not at all Sir." She said quickly, recovering quickly enough for anyone other than Thrawn and Ezra not to notice.

"I've never heard the reference before, Admiral." Ezra remarked staring at Julia for a second longer and realizing despite her facade of calm, she was squirming inwardly.

"It's an interesting office Captain," Thrawn finally addressed him. "The Emperor's Hands are assassins trained specifically to infiltrate and spy. Most of the time however, they run his errands although occasionally he farms them out for other duties."

Julia held up impressively well considering what was being said, Ezra observed. She showed no signs of being the least bit perturbed by anything Thrawn was revealing but then that was not the point of the exercise, he was certain. Thrawn was laying down ground rules between himself and Julia and Ezra shuddered to know what part he played in the Grand Admiral's scheme. The woman said nothing, maintaining her mercurial demeanour in the face of her dissection by the Admiral in front of Ezra and Claire.

"Admiral," Ezra faced Thrawn. "How can we be of service to you?"

Thrawn returned his crimson coloured eyes to Ezra and responded. "I think you are perceptive enough to guess the reason for my arrival with three heavy destroyers orbiting Cordoba."

"It is not hard to discern," Ezra answered. "I am assuming that a fleet like this is necessary for an engagement with the Rebellion?"

"Hardly," Thrawn chuckled as if the thought was amusing. "Our encounter with the Rebellion is not challenge enough to be called an engagement. Perhaps errand would be a better term."

Now it was Ezra who was struggling to hide his own reaction beneath a veneer of detachment. "I take it you have located their present whereabouts and are moving to take their base of operations?"

"More or less." Thrawn nodded. "However, any capture of the rebels in the Territory requires me pausing at  _this_  station first."

Ezra displayed his best face for sabaac and inquired further, putting on his best performance of bewilderment for the man's benefit. "How so?" He asked neutrally.

"Lieutenant," Thrawn glanced at Pallaeon to take the question for him.

"We are holding position over Cordoba because the  _Shadowstar_  is also involved in this offensive." Pallaeon answered while Thrawn watched Ezra for reaction. "When the  _Shadowstar_  arrives, we will continue to the Siraj star system."

Ezra had no idea where the rebel base was mostly because he had asked specifically not to be told in the instance he was captured and tortured for the information but if the base was in Siraj, it would make perfect sense. It was isolated and deep in the Territory, almost at the galactic rim. Somehow, Ezra could not imagine such a large task force sent out to capture the rebels unless the man before him was absolute about his information. "That is an exceedingly formidable task force." Ezra pointed out. "If you catch the rebels unawares, they will be completely overwhelmed."

"Even if they were  _somehow_  alerted to our presence, they are incapable of launching a defence against four star destroyers. Besides, they will not have the time to evacuate. The  _Shadowstar_  is due in Cordoban space within the hour and when she arrives, we will be departing. Still, I prefer to be certain about such matters so I’ve taken the liberty of blocking all outgoing transmissions from Cordoban space for the time being. "

"I see." Ezra replied, certain that Thrawn was studying him for a reaction. Ezra did not even bother to protest because he knew that it would be a futile gesture. After all the man was a Grand Admiral and Ezra was merely a captain. Thrawn could take over his command and Ezra would be powerless to stop him. It was also at this point Ezra understood the real reason behind Thrawn's arrival had nothing to do with a rendezvous and  _everything_  to do with him.

* * *

When the Four Corners Tavern was abuzz with talk about three Imperial destroyers parked in orbit around Cordoba, the first thing Inez Recillos thought was that it was news that required relaying to the Rebellion as soon as possible. Most of the patrons of the establishment described the destroyers as being heavy battle cruisers with further murmurings that the reason they were here was because they were awaiting for a fourth ship. A fleet that size could only have one purpose and as Inez excused herself to contact the Rebellion, she hoped she was wrong. She had never been to the Siraj base herself but even she knew they were not capable of standing up to an assault of this magnitude. Their only hope lay in being told early enough about what was happening so that they could evacuate the base before the Empire reached them.

It was too dangerous to risk a two way transmission so Inez sent her message through the special scrambler frequency, ensuring it held a minimum of data but would concisely tell the Rebellion was coming at them. Once she completed that undertaking, Inez returned to her customers and waited impatiently for news to reach her from the rebellion, telling them they had received her information and were moving out. Despite herself, she tried not to think about Buck and the peril he might be facing if the Rebellion did not evacuate in time. Although Inez was fairly certain she was in love with Ezra Standish, she still had deep feelings for her ex-husband and worried about him.

The afternoon crowd bled out of the tavern an hour after she had made the transmission and Inez could not help deny she was grateful for that fact. She would prefer some measure of quiet while she waited for news. A quartet of star destroyers could do a great deal of damage to the small rebel base on Siraj. As capable as she thought Mary to be, Inez knew there was no way the rebel leader could hope to fight off four ships with just the  _Purgatory_  alone. It may have been a while since Inez was actually involved in any military engagements herself, but even she knew this for a fact.

Inez retreated into the storeroom when she heard the door open and the sound of footsteps entering the place. It did not take her long to discern there was more than one new arrival and with the situation the way it was, she proceeded cautiously to the edge of the doorway to see who her new patrons were. She did not need to make the effort because the demand emanating throughout the establishment made their identity unmistakable.

"Where’s the owner of this place?" The storm trooper's voice reverberated through the audio unit on his helmet.

Inez shrank back into the storeroom, feeling her heart pound in her chest as she frantically wondered what they were doing here. The most obvious answer was because of her, naturally but the timing seemed to be a little too coincidental for her liking. Was it possible they had traced her because she attempted to contact the rebellion? Despite her concerns for her safety, Inez was more gripped by the notion of whether or not her transmission actually reached the rebellion. Three destroyers had more than enough range to carry out a planetary blackout. Her warning to the rebellion might not even left the atmosphere. If such were the case, the Rebellion would have no idea what was coming for them.

The demand by the Imperial storm trooper was followed by the sound of scuffling feet and glasses and tables being overturned as the contingent began searching the place. It would take less than a minute for them to find her here and there was no way out of the storeroom than through the main door which emptied into the bar area. Taking a deep breath, the lovely tavern owner decided she would have no choice but to fight her way out. Moving immediately to one of the lower shelves, she retrieved a bundle of canvas that had been hidden away in the darkness. She could hear the footsteps approaching the entrance of her hiding place and knew she was out of time as she unwrapped the material from the object it encased.

The first storm trooper to arrive at the doorway was met with a bolt from a blast rifle square in the chest. The force of the energy beam sent him flying backwards, crashing into the other trooper behind him. Smoke trailed from the dark scorch mark left behind on the melted space on his armour and he remained still and unmoving. Inez wasted no time; the others attracted by the commotion were already raising their guns to fire, when Inez took aim to clear the path before her. She fired on the second closest trooper and immediately took refuge behind the bar as return fire came her way. Blasts of energy impacted on the wall behind her, sending chunks of debris flying in all directions. Inez kept her head down as she moved along the floor, trying for the door but coming to the realization she would have to settle for the window as her point of escape.

Peering over the edge of the counter, she fired a few more shots at the troopers who had now taken cover in order to avoid being hit by return fire. All her customers were more or less gone now and the storm troopers were hiding behind tables flipped on their side. Inez fired a dozen or more shots in quick succession, three or four of those discharges actually meeting their mark. There was soon a lot less soldiers than had first entered the place but she was nowhere out of trouble yet. After letting loose a lethal barrage of fire, Inez took advantage of the confusion to make her escape. She could not remain behind the counter much longer for the protection it afforded was waning with each bolt of energy that impacted against it. She could smell its surface burning under the heat of multiple blasts and it would only be a matter of time before those energy beams cut through it and reached her. She was certain the storm troopers knew it too and were biding their time.

Aware she had to get out of here before they called for any further reinforcements, Inez braced herself as she debated what she ought to do next. The window was her only safe avenue of retreat even though she did not relish going through it to get out. Unfortunately, she was left with little choice. Aiming her gun at it, she fired at the plexiglass surface, shattering it with a resounding sound and sending sharp fragments through the air like a spray of water. Inez shielded her eyes to avoid being blinded by splinters and shards but could allow no more time for the eruption to pass before she was running forward. Leaping through the newly created opening, she winced in pain as some edges caught her skin as she passed through.

A barrage of blaster fire followed her as she landed on the ground outside and knew she had only a fraction of time to start running before those storm troopers took up the pursuit. Inez scrambled to her feet, the blast rifle still in her hand as she bolted forward. She did not even dare to look behind her to see if they were following and hoped the Force was with her because Ezra would have to find her before they did.

* * *

It was almost with relish that Julia Pemberton entered Ezra’s office a short time after Grand Admiral Thrawn had returned to his ship, leaving the commander of the Cordoba base in a state of some anxiety. Ezra was trying to discern how he was going to get word to Inez or the Rebellion for that matter about the star destroyers that would soon be leaving Cordoba for their secret location. Unfortunately, Inez was in no position to make contact with the Alliance any more than he because of the planetary blackout Thrawn imposed upon the planet. Nevertheless despite this obstacle, a way had to be through the net if Nathan and any of his friends were going to survive. Unfortunately, Ezra could see no other way of doing this beyond getting into a ship and escaping the planet's atmosphere. However, doing so would mean giving himself away not to mention the risk of being shot down by any one of the destroyers in orbit around Cordoba.

Ezra did not bother to rise from behind his desk as he pondered the situation but the worrisome expression on Claire's face as she accompanied Julia into the room certainly spoke volumes. Julia on the other hand appeared almost exultant, her lips stretched into a little smile while her green eyes seemed almost animalistic. It was an expression of savagery that put Ezra on guard but he revealed nothing of the kind to her, displaying a facade of utmost confidence.

"I do not recall sending for either of you." Ezra replied, easing back into his chair almost casually as he stared at them.

"I thought this couldn't wait." Julia returned silkily, thinking of all the humiliation her assignment to him had engendered. All of it seemed justified for this one moment of savoury delight. "I have just had a report from one of our security teams."

"Commander..." Claire started to speak.

"SHUT UP." Julia threw her a look of complete ice and venom.

Claire fell silent immediately and Ezra's hand began drifting.

"You obviously have something to impart to me Lieutenant," Ezra responded with just as much aloofness. "I suggest you forgo the dramatics and get to the point."

"Your  _lover_ ," she said the word as if it left a foul taste in her mouth. "Inez Recillos has just killed a number of our troops after a scrambled signal attempting to penetrate the blackout was traced back to the Four Corner's establishment. She opened fire with blast rifle on the security team sent to investigate before we could question her."

Ezra rose to his feet immediately. "Who gave you the authorization to sent troops after her?" He demanded in fury, almost dropping the mask of cool detachment entirely. "If there was a question of such an implication, it should have been brought to me."

"Under the circumstances," Julia stared at him triumphantly, taking a closer step to the desk so she could savour the look in his eyes, "your loyalty is suspect and as your first officer, I have the right to proceed without your authorization. I am sure that when I bring this matter to Grand Admiral Thrawn, he will agree with me."

"Perhaps he will but you still have no proof I was nothing but misled in my relationship with her. As you should well know by now, women lie, don't they?" \

"You are a traitor!" She hissed angrily. "You've always been a traitor! You have been her source while she passes on secrets to the Rebellion. I know I am right."

Unfortunately, the implication was enough and Grand Admiral Thrawn suspected him already. If Julia brought to him the confirmation she now had that Inez was really a member of the Rebel Alliance then both their fates would be sealed. Ezra thought furiously on what he ought to do and realized there was only one thing he could do if he wished to see another sunrise.

Without giving he the slightest bit of warning, Ezra slammed his fist squarely into Julia's face, sending her reeling away from the desk, stunned. Producing the gun he had been reaching for behind his desk, he took a quick aim and fired. The bolt hit her in the chest and she crumpled to the floor without a sound. Killing her would have probably been the better course of action but Ezra could not find it in himself to be so merciless. The stun blast would ensure she remained unconscious for quite a while, long enough for him to make good his departure. Rounding the desk, he removed a few things and stashed it into the folds of his Imperial uniform before regarding Claire who was staring open mouthed by the whole proceedings.

"Lieutenant," Ezra turned to her. "If you are coming with me, we had better get moving. Trust me, you do  _not_  wish to be around when she wakes up."


	4. Chase

Why was she here?

She should be trying to make her way to the spaceport to leave the planet. Imperial storm troopers were out in force searching the town for her. So far she managed to avoid being captured but they were very good at what they did and it would only be a matter of time before their net closed in on her. Inez Recillos knew she was being foolish and risking everyone's life by continuing to remain on Cordoba when she ought to be making every effort to leave but she could not help it. She had to reach Ezra. She had to reach him before he did something to give himself away when he learnt of what happened to her. There was no doubt in her mind he would and even if he did managed to remain composed, Inez did not think his long standing association with her would allow him to remain unscathed from the implication of rebel collusion. Julia Pemberton had been watching him for months, waiting for the signs of weakness and Inez's exposure was evidence of her suspicions.

Inez was certain the main concentration of the search for her would be focussed at the space station and so there was some logic to not going there immediately. Instead, she made her way to the Imperial base, hoping it would be the last place they would expect to find her. She wanted to mointor the place to determine what had happened to Ezra. If he was captured, then she would have to leave Cordoba and somehow reach the Alliance by getting through the formidable blockade posed by those four ships above the planet. She would bring the news to Nathan his best friend was compromised. Ezra's capture did not pose much threat to the rebellion. While he could identify every one of the seven he was a part, it was information the Empire already had. It was his own wish to not be told the location of the rebel base in case of capture.

Inez tried not to think about what they would do to him in order to find out what he knew.

The base was located some distance away from the main settlement and Inez kept watch of those departing its gates from a good distance away. From the moment she settled on Cordoba to be the Rebellion's eyes and ears in the Territory, she knew there would be a day when she was discovered. Inez was no fool and she made preparations to depart, should anything like what happened this afternoon ever take place. Part of these arrangements included her own ship the  _Windsong_ which was presently awaiting her at a private berth at the spaceport, registered under the name of a Chandra-Fan trader who also happened to be a loyal rebel agent.

Following her dramatic escape from the Four Corners Tavern, Inez returned to the storage facility where she secreted away in one of its holding bays, a land speeder and a good supply of credits. All rebel agents were advised to take such precautions and for one such as her, who was a long-term agent, it was utterly necessary.

From an ample distance, she studied the comings and goings at the Imperial base, hoping to catch sight of Ezra. Inez knew unless he was already in custody, the first thing he would do upon learning about her situation is to make some effort to find her. She kept watch on the base religiously, praying to the Force he was safe. Inez had always thought she would never love another man after Buck but Ezra had been such a welcome surprise. He was so different from Buck and was exactly what she needed at this point in her life. Although she would always care about the pilot, she knew her heart was definitely Ezra's Standish exclusive domain. She did not even want to think about his being hurt. Her heart could not endure it.

She made her way here almost immediately after she had eluded the Empire's clutches, aware that time was not on her side. She had no idea how long it would take for Ezra to learn of her situation and if he was capable of acting, he would do so quickly before too much suspicion was aroused by his interest. Inez's intentions was to cut him off before he actually reached town because they could not afford to expend the time it would take to locate each other. Inez had no idea for how much longer the fleet in orbit around Cordoba would remain where it was but when it left, she had no doubt where it was going. The lengths the Empire was taking to ensure the Rebellion was not warned of their coming convinced the Rebel agent they knew where the Rebel base was.

Inez continued to watch all speeders departing the Imperial outpost, aware she could not do this indefinitely for the search would intensity once their lack of success at apprehending her at the spaceport became less and less unlikely. They would fan out across the city and begin searching other alternatives, like Ezra Standish. Suddenly, she saw a speeder moving through the sentry gates and immediately boosted the gain on her binoculars. The image before her eyes zoomed in dramatically and she saw Ezra Standish and his adjutant, a young woman named Claire Moseley, emerging through the gates in an Imperial speeder. Even though his features revealed nothing was wrong, Claire's eyes told a very different story.

_They knew._

Inez thought as she saw the Imperial craft pull away from the base and headed. Wasting no time, she tossed the binoculars into the back of her speeder and lowered herself into the driver's seat once more, prepared to intercept them as soon as they were out of sight of the base. The craft was soon surging through the rocky terrain of Cordoba's atmosphere and did not take long before it was in the line of sight with Ezra's own speeder. Upon seeing her, the commander of the Cordoba base immediately changed course and headed towards her. Inez let out a sigh of relief seeing he was safe. During her wait to see if he would emerge from the base, she was fighting off fears she would never again see him alive.

"Ezra!" Inez exclaimed once both crafts had come to a halt next to each other. She climbed out of her speeder and ran into his arms. "Thank the Force, you're safe!" She cried out as her arms encircled him and she pressed her head against his shoulder.

"I might say the same." He said just as relieved as he held her in his arms for a second. She raised her head and stared into his eyes, telling him in that one instant how much she feared for his life. Ezra lowered his lips to hers and their mouths met with a passionate kiss where for a few seconds the danger they were in seemed very far away. Ezra could have easily become lost in the power of her lips if he did not know they had very little time for such indulgence.

"Are you alright?" He asked her once they had parted and his gaze moved over her form. She was still clad in her work clothes at the tavern and he saw a few spots of blood that gave him cause for concern.

"Yes," she nodded quickly, noticing the direction of his gaze. "Its nothing that won't heal in time."

"I take it you were trying to contact the rebel base?" He asked her.

"Yes," she nodded. "They must have traced the signal I tried to send. What's happening? I know there's four ships in orbit around Cordoba."

"They have the entire planet under radio blackout," Claire said helpfully. "They were trying to ensure their attack fleet reached its destination without anyone warning them."

"I am almost certain they knew the location of the base." Ezra stated firmly. "There cannot be any reason for so much precaution otherwise."

"Oh Ezra, we have to warn them." Inez exclaimed. "If those ships reach them without any kind of a warning, they'll be wiped out!"

"I know that," Ezra said grimly. "Unfortunately we have no way of doing that without getting off the planet."

"Any transmission we make will be jammed and traced back to us." Claire sighed, trying to keep her worries for Chano from making her irrational.

"Then we have no choice in the matter," Ezra replied coming to the only decision they could make at this juncture. "We will have to escape Cordoba and warn them before its too late."

"It won't be easy getting past that blockade," Inez pointed out.

"It is not getting past it that worries me," Ezra remarked as he gestured Claire to board Inez's speeder, abandoning their own. "It is them leaving before we can make the attempt."

Inez said nothing but they all knew that if that were to happen, there would be no chance of saving the rebel base.

No chance at all.

* * *

"You were correct about Captain Standish," Pallaeon told Thrawn on board the Chimaera.

The Grand Admiral was standing by the huge observation window on the bridge of his ship. It gave him a magnificent view of the planet below them and the three destroyers that would soon be accompanying him on this expedition to destroy the rebel base in Siraj. The  _Shadowstar_  arrived a short time ago and she appeared just as impressive as her sister ships. With her arrival, Thrawn had all the pieces he needed to proceed to their destination. Although three star destroyers was already more than adequate for the capture of the rebel base, Thrawn was leaving nothing to chance. The capture of Mary Travis was nothing to be taken lightly, like the woman herself.

"Well it did seem rather obvious since there could be no one else responsible for providing the rebels the information they seemed to be in possession of lately." Thrawn remarked relatively unconcerned. Ezra Standish was merely a curiosity he wished satisfied, a minor wrinkle that had very little effect on his overall plans for the Rebellion. "No doubt his liaison was his lover, a woman named Inez Recillos. If I am not mistaken she was once wife to Buck Wilmington of the Rebel Alliance."

Pallaeon hid his surprise at how well informed the Grand Admiral was but then recalled Thrawn once telling him the acquisition of data was power. Thrawn had a network of spies far more insidious and effective than any other in the Empire and resources beyond the Emperor's knowledge.

"His first officer has informed me that a planetary search has begun. There is no evidence he has left the planet at this time."

"Tell Lieutenant Pemberton she is expend every resource available to ensure he does not leave the Cordoba. When we have him in custody, I am certain he will make a nice little offering to Vader. The Sith Lord will not be happy at my success at capturing Mary Travis and he is far too dangerous a man to have as an enemy. A little morsel may make my victory a little more palatable for him."

"Yes Sir," Pallaeon nodded and was about to turn away in order to fulfil that order when a thought crossed his mind. "Sir, what if he tries to warn the rebellion about our attack?"

"It won't matter," Thrawn turned towards the younger man, having already considered the possibility. "The only way he can penetrate our jamming signal is to make the transmission from space. Since there is every indication he is still on Cordoba, the chances of that happening are remote. Nevertheless it is never wise to take chances. Following your instructions to Lieutenant Pemberton, I want you to give the order for departure. If by some instance Captain Standish does manage to contact the Rebellion, it will do him little good. We will be in the Siraj system already."

* * *

"How many?" Ezra asked.

"At least three." She declared, looking over her shoulder. Behind them were at least three Imperial speeders, bearing down on them in close pursuit with heavily armed storm troopers in each one. Despite the danger to themselves, there was little choice for the trio but to make the attempt to reach Inez's ship at the spaceport. Somehow, they had to warn the Rebel base on Siraj what was coming for them in less than a day. The Rebellion was ill equipped to battle a quartet of Star Destroyers. If caught unawares, the consequences not just for their friends but the entire Rebel Alliance could be devastating. Unfortunately, accomplishing this minor miracle was easier said then done. No sooner than they entered the town limits, the speeders located them. There were already a sizeable number of Imperial troops in the community, thanks to the search for Inez to ensure their departure from Cordoba would be anything but simple.

Inez handed the younger woman a blast rifle and extra power packs, which Claire promptly stuck in her belt for easy access when she needed them. Exchanging a brief glance with Inez, she swallowed thickly, giving the rebel liaison indication she was ready as she was ever going to be.

"We need to keep them off our backs until we arrive at the spaceport," Ezra ordered as he sat behind the controls of the craft, preparing to navigate through hell itself it was necessary. "Once we arrive, they will be less reluctant to open fire with so many civilians around."

"We'll do what we can Ezra," Inez responded bravely.

Ezra had not expected any less. Until a short time ago, those troops were under his command and he knew how thorough they could be. Turning the controls sharply to the right, the speeder darted down a narrow alley cutting across two major streets and a block of low cost dwellings. Ezra did not even bother to try hiding their advance to the spaceport because he knew Imperial troops would be swarming the place no matter what. Whether or not it was Thrawn's orders or Julia's did not matter, he was certain those troops were directed to intercept them before they left the planet.

The three speeders followed them into the passage way at top speed. There were barely inches between the vehicles and the walls of the alley as they surged through it, sending litter and garbage in the air as they moved down its length. Despite his best efforts to maintain a steady course, it was impossible for the speeder not to scrape against the uneven brick walls. The impact of metal against stone sent sparks flying through the air like frantic fire flies and created a screech of iron that tore through the night like the wail of a dying animal.

They emerged into a main street and narrowly avoided collision with a transport moving up the main thoroughfare. Ezra swerved out of the way a second before the vehicle could smash into the side of them. People were emerging from their homes to catch a glimpse of the commotion and were treated to the sight of Imperial speeders banking hard to avoid crashing into the vehicle Ezra had narrowly avoided.

The lead craft in pursuit moved out of the way quickly and continued the chase while the second Imperial transport slammed headfirst into a nearby wall and exploded into a ball of fire. Debris and pieces of ignited metal rained down on the half empty street as the driver of the civilian transport brought his vehicle to a halt to investigate. Meanwhile the third speeder that veered hard to avoid the collision as well but ended through someone's front window instead, was now backing out of the building to resume the pursuit. The dazed owner could only stare at the ragged hole of falling timbers and plaster falling through the front of his home. He looked in astonishment as the craft sped away, kicking dust and debris into the air.

"Are we almost there?" Inez shouted as she saw one of the two crafts in pursuit again after that melee in the busy street.

"Almost but not quite enough." Ezra answered as a bolt of energy struck the speeder's pexiglassed windscreen. Ezra had to turn away to avoid being hit by glass flying in all directions.

Inez cried out in surprise as sparks bit into her skin. "Keep your head down, they're shooting at us!"

"I had not guessed." Ezra said dryly. "Do you think you might reciprocate?" He retorted as he saw they were running out of back streets. He banked the controls hard and the speeder veered out of the alleyway emerging into another main arterial roadway. There were numerous civilian crafts, skimmers, speeders and large transports whizzing up and down the road in both directions even at this time of the day. As he pulled out onto the street, the other vehicles braked hard to avoid a collision. Ezra drove his speeder through the nose of oncoming traffic, oblivious to the fact he was throwing the other vehicles into complete chaos in the frantic effort to avoid hitting him.

Inez watched the lights of the speeder coming for them at top speed with growing horror. She glanced at Ezra and saw he was unconcerned with the danger and was making no move to alter their current direction. People were shouting at them and throwing curses as they drove past. Inez saw vehicles upturned, she saw them crashing into other docked transports and into buildings. People were wisely running off the pavements and going indoor to escape the carnage taking place on the roads.

As if things could not have been reduced to a further state of pandemonium, their Imperial pursuers began firing at them despite the number of civilians on the street. Now amongst the sound of crashing steel and shattering pexiglass, were the screams of frightened people trying to evade the blaster fire ricocheting off their speeder whenever it impacted. The storm troopers did not seem to care that some of their random blasts were murdering innocents. The action infuriated Inez who began firing at their pursuers, hoping to kill them before they wiped out any more helpless civilians.

"They're insane!" She shouted. "They're going to kill innocent people."

"They are fodder to the Empire.  _We_  are the prizes worth capturing." Ezra retorted but he could not deny he was just as outraged as Inez and Claire about this. Unfortunately, there was little they could do except shoot back.

Inez fired once more and decided it was not enough. Sliding off her seat, until her body was draped over the back quarter of the speeder, Inez held the weapon and prepared to fire. Taking aim at the pursuing transport, she pulled the trigger and released a series of short rapid bursts. Claire held her steady, aware the rough ride they were enduring made it impossible for her to do it herself.

"I've got you!" Claire shouted over the sound of gunfire, her arms wrapped securely over Inez's legs. "Take em out!"

Inez was more than happy to oblige and she took careful aim of her targets, careful not to let loose a murderous hail of random shots where only one in five blasts would meet their target while the others murdered innocent bystanders on the street. She took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger gently, firing only once at a time. The blast connected with the storm trooper behind the pilot of the lead transport. She saw him convulse with pain as the blast threw him off the back of the transport. Without missing a beat, she targeted the other trooper next to him and repeated the same action, killing him just as efficiently as he slumped against the side of the speeder, his body smoking with heat.

"Where did you learn to shoot?" Claire looked at her with mild admiration. Small arms  proficiency was not the usual requirement of a bartender but then Inez was hardly a regular bartender, Claire supposed. In fact there was much about the lady she did not know even though Inez had been keeping Ezra's company for quite some time now. Claire wondered where Inez obtained her training because she handled the blast rifle with the expertise of a professional who was very good at what she did.

Inez did not answer until she fired again. This time her shot hit the front quarter of the lead speeder and smoke began to billow from the fissure she made in its hull. With satisfaction, there was enough clarity to see the dark rage on the pilot's face as the speeder was forced to come to a halt. No doubt, this was a temporary reprieve. There was one more fully functional speeder in pursuit and the spaceport was still some distance away. Besides, a protracted chase in the streets would bring other Imperial crafts to the pursuit and they could ill afford that at this time.

"I wasn't always a bartender." Inez replied. "I sure wasn't one when I met Buck."

Claire looked at her. "So what did you do?"

Inez did not answer as she took a moment to reload her weapon. "Do you know Ordianis 6 is?" She asked as her eyes darted back to see how much distance the other speeder had gained on them. At the moment, they were still some distance away and the traffic had thinned out enough for Ezra to switch lanes to the correct side of the road.

"Yes," Claire nodded remembering her history well enough. "It was one of the last worlds to fall during Clone Wars. There was a massive ground battle on the planet during the last days of the fighting. I think we sent thousand of Ground Pounders to take the planet."

"Well there you go," Inez responded as she prepared to shoot.

"You were a Ground Pounder?" Claire exclaimed with some measure of surprise. In the days before the Empire, Republic surface troops were often referred to as ground pounders. They were an elite force of battle hardened troops trained to win by any means necessary. A prelude to the Imperial storm troopers of the present day, in their time, the Ground Pounders had been a formidable force. With the coming of the new order, many of the Ground Pounders found themselves absorbed by Empire.

"Since I was eighteen years old," Inez replied tautly. "That's where I met Buck. He was one of the pilots who flew the Ground Pounder transports during the Ordianis 6 campaigns."

Inez shifted her attention away from the conversation she was having with Claire and looked at the streets around them. The spaceport was drawing closer and closer but if they arrived with that speeder still following them, they would never be able to lose themselves in the crowd or reach the  _Windsong_. Somehow, they had to shake off their attackers and right now before they drew any more attention then they already had.

"Ezra, we can't keep this up." Inez shouted at his direction. "They're gaining on us and if they send in reinforcements which they are likely to do, we'll never get out of here alive."

"Agreed." Ezra answered. He hoped to evade their pursuers before they reached the spaceport but since that had not happened, he had to come up with an alternate plan no matter how drastic it was. Ezra Standish had every intention of surviving this day and getting the information to the rebellion before everyone they held dear were wiped out in a devastating assault. He had promised himself after becoming a part of the Rebellion he would not fail Nathan as he had done when Ana had died and he had no intention of breaking that promise.

Inez was about to respond when suddenly her words were cut short by a sudden burst of sound as a blaster bolt impacted inches from her seat. The leather of the cushions began to sizzle under the tremendous heat as both Inez and Claire scrambled away from its reach. Inez rolled onto her belly on the back of the speeder preparing to fire at the approaching speeder when she realized that the odds had changed considerably. Instead of seeing one speeder, she saw a dozen and they were gaining on them. The reinforcements they had feared would be called during the chase had finally arrived. She estimated an entire garrison of troops riding the convoy. She nearly panicked but knew she could not do that. Ezra needed her to keep a level head.

"Open fire!" She shouted at Claire and both women begin firing a deadly barrage of energy at the pursuing crafts. Unfortunately, their firepower was simply not enough.

"Ezra!" She called out because it was time for his input.

"I see them." Ezra replied tautly. He thought quickly. This had to end now. If they did not shake those storm troopers now, they would be cut down before they could even reach the spaceport. "Inez, set your blaster rifle for overload."

She looked at him. "What?"

"Because we do not have explosives and that will have to do!" He said firmly.

Inez exchanged an uncertain glance with Claire but complied nonetheless, praying he knew what he was doing. She found the power setting on the weapon and turned the dial until it could go no further. As she did that, she could feel the tickle of heat against the palm as the power core within began building up to critical mass.

"I've done it." She announced over the whine of the engines and the sound of blaster fire.

"Throw it over. Make certain it's directly behind us when you do!" 

Inez expected that and she flung the weapon over the back of their speeder. It hit the ground and skittered over the paved road until it paused in the middle of it. It would take a few seconds until the charge built up beyond the point of return. Ezra pulled out his own blaster and handed it to her. "Yours as well Lieutenant."

Claire took a deep breath, seeming reluctant to do away with their only means of defence but she trusted her captain and had faith he knew what he was doing. She had to, there was no other choice. Without uttering a word of complaint, she repeated the procedure on the weapon and tossed it behind the speeder, watching it bounce of the paved road before coming to rest the same way that Inez's weapon had done.

"If this doesn't work, we're in a lot of trouble." She declared.

"We are already in a great deal of trouble," Ezra deadpanned.

Ezra forced the speeder to surge forward at maximum acceleration. The force of the increased speed made Inez and Claire fall back into the seat and hold on for dear life. Ezra had not wanted to push the craft so hard. Although it was capable of handling this kind of speed, pushing it to its limits made steering difficult and increased the chances of engine failure. Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury of being cautious at this time. There was simply too much at stake.

Inez turned around to the sound of a sudden explosion of light. She saw a flare of white behind them as the blast rifles finally reached critical. It had erupted while a number of speeders were passing over it. Inez saw two of the transports flip unceremoniously in the air before they hit the paved floor with a loud smash. The others following close behind were unable to avoid the collision and Inez saw one transport smashed into the capsized two. While she hoped this would discourage the others from maintaining their pursuit, Inez knew better. She could already see the Imperial crafts matching their speed as it burst through the flaming wreckage of the other transports.

There were still a healthy number of transports in pursuit but this soon changed as she saw another explosion. This time, the others did not escape as unscathed. The rear of the lead speeder flipped upwards and Inez saw Imperial troops being thrown to the ground as transports fell around their ears. When it landed, it burst into flames killing everyone in it. Three other vehicles behind it took the brunt of the explosion, swerving before crashing into the buildings flanking the street. She saw the flames quickly envelop the structure as propellant leaking from the damaged craft ignited.

"It worked!" Claire gasped almost in astonishment.

"For now," Inez responded gravely but could not help feeling just a little relieved that they had managed to survive their arrival to the spaceport.

"I would not get too comfortable ladies," Ezra responded as he saw the spaceport in the distance. "I have a feeling this is only the beginning. It is going to get far worse than this before it gets better."


	5. Stolen Moment

The Empire had entered the Siraj system.

The four great ships slipped into normal space silently, like a school of dark predators under shallow water. They sailed forward through a surge of light and stars, a good distance away from the planet that was home to the rebel base, remaining undetected by long range scanners as they closed in on the enemy. In truth, it made very little difference if they were seen or not. Moving gracefully through the dark, their silent journey ahead belied the frantic activity that was taking place in each of the vessel's hollowed insides. Behind every sparkle of light on the armoured surface, preparations were being made for the coming engagement. From space, the leviathans appeared somewhat benign, like sleeping giants basking languidly in the shallows. 

On the bridge of the  _Chimaera_ , Thrawn was busy.

There was a great deal to do before the rebels became aware of their presence. Surface troops needed to be prepared for the ground assault. Walkers and armoured carried were being moved into smaller ships in order to make the journey to the Siraj 3. TIE fighter pilots were hurrying to their crafts, preparing for launch once they entered the range of the planet. With far more speed than would normally be credited to a force of similar size, the Imperial troops under Thrawn's command took their places with surprising efficiency. Under Thrawn's command, they could be nothing else. The four ships remaining closely together as they continued towards the planet, waiting until the optimum moment before they split their forces and closed the net over their prey.

Sitting in his command chair, Thrawn regarded the holographic projections before him. Within the next few minutes, the small fleet would be entering scanner range of Siraj 3 and the rebels would know that they were coming. It was vital their troops were in position before this happened. Thrawn had planned his attack strategy long before he entered the system and it was now time to see that plan realised with each commander under his authorization following their instructions precisely. Pallaeon stood by his side as Thrawn debriefed his subordinates.

"Commander Daris, I want the  _Shadowstar_  scan for the  _Purgatory_  once we are in sensor range. The first few minutes are critical. I estimate no more than thirty minutes from the time we are detected on the scanners to Commander Travis issuing a response. The  _Purgatory_  will no doubt hold back to determine which of our ships will be involved in the surface assault. You will distract her while the  _Chimaera_  and the  _Nimbus_  move to intercept." .

"Yes Sir." Daris' voice responded. "What about the surface batteries?"

"I believe the base has an ion cannon." Thrawn answered coolly, anticipating the question. "The rebels are ill equipped to have more than one. While you are engaging the  _Purgatory_ , attack fighters from the  _Chimaera_  and the  _Nimbus_  will launch. They will disable the ion cannon."

"Travis will launch all her fighters into the air," Commander Hutsen of the  _Nimbus_  commented. That's the only way she can evacuate her people in time."

Thrawn concurred with the commander's observation. "That is why I have taken the liberty of bringing a large force with me. We'll launch all fighters from the  _Nimbus_ , the  _Chimaera_  and the  _Shadowstar_."

"That's a lot of ships," Daris said with a smile. "The rebels will have no idea what hit them."

"I am hoping that as well," Thrawn returned. "In the meantime Commander Trainee, you will deploy your shock troopers and armoured walkers to the surface. You and the  _Phoenix_  will take the base on the ground and our forces will finish them in the air. Your fighter squadrons will be deployed to the planet to give your ground force aerial support and also to disable their shield generator."

"Yes Admiral," Trainee nodded in response. "Are we to take prisoners?"

"As many as you can," Thrawn said automatically without having to think twice about the question. "I doubt Travis will be on the ground. As soon as we are detected, I wager she'll be moving to take command of the  _Purgatory_. Her tactic once she takes charge of her warship is usually unpredictable, give her plenty of room to manoeuvre, you do not wish to get captured in one of her traps. The best thing to do is to avoid it entirely. In fighting the three of us, I am gambling she will identify the lead ship and then charge. You are to let her come to me. At an appropriate time, I will give you the signal and the  _Nimbus_  and the  _Shadowstar_  will move in. We'll cut her off."

"An excellent plan Admiral." Hutsen commended.

"Save the premature congratulations commanders," Thrawn retorted icily, his red eyes gleaming under the dim light of the bridge. "At least until  _after_  we capture Travis."

* * *

When Mary Travis was summoned to the operation center of the Siraj base, she anticipated trouble but until she saw what was on the scanners before her, she had not realized the scale of it. For a few seconds after she heard the taut request from Nathan Jackson to come to the central hub of the rebel base, she hoped again hope that it was not as bad as she thought. However, the tension in Nathan's voice did not escape her. The tendrils of fear running through her spine soon found her  _running_ ,not walking towards the operations center. When she reached Nathan and saw the grim faces gathered around the long-range scanner as if it were the oracle of some dark truth, she knew that the worst was not even close to describing their present situation.

"They just came up on our sensors," Nathan announced, his voice nothing more but a hushed whisper.

Mary came forward and studied the readings on the long-range scanners, to see what it was that frightened him so badly. It took her no more than a second to translate the digital data before her and note the power levels emanating from the approaching crafts following the scans made to know immediately what it was they were facing. Unfortunately the rest of the command staff had come to the same conclusion as her and when she raised her eyes to meet theirs, she could see the fear was visible in their faces. Mary felt the same trepidation but did her best to hide it from the others. Above everyone else, a commander could not show fear. A commander had to remain resolute or else none of her people would be able to do the same.

"How long ago?" Mary inquired, discarding immediately the woman she was and becoming the commander they needed.

"We alerted you almost immediately after the scanners pick them up. Three are still holding course; one has broken off from the main group. Judging from the trajectory, I'd say its heading straight for the  _Purgatory_." Nathan estimated grimly.

"Make sense," Mary nodded, absorbing the information. "They need to take out our main defence first before the rest of them move in for the kill."

"We can't fight those ships." Nathan exclaimed, feeling the urgency of the situation rise up and strangle his senses for a brief instance. "We don't have the fire power."

"I don't need to hear that right now Captain!" Mary snapped sharply, unimpressed by him for showing weakness in front of junior officers, especially at a time like this. "We start talking defeat before we even start to fight we are all going to die here today and I won't have it, do you understand me?" She glared at him. "I won't have it. We've been in tougher scrapes before, we'll survive this." She concluded that statement by making eye contact with everyone in the room, so that they would see that she believed it.

"Yes Sir," Nathan nodded, feeling a little admonished for faltering under pressure. She was right of course, as a command officer, he had to present a confident front to their junior officers. "What are you orders?" He said in a more professional tone.

Mary threw him a little smile indicating all was forgiven before she took a deep breath to consider the question. There were vital first steps that had to be taken even if they did not have a plan and they had to be issued immediately. Time was an extreme factor now. Whomever was in command of those destroyers had made their stealthy approach in order to give the rebels very little time to react. Unfortunately, it was a plan that worked well. As it was, Mary was amazed by the fact those ships entered the system without the Alliance having any clue a small attack fleet had departed for Coruscant bound for the Siraj system. Nevertheless, however the Empire had managed to sneak up on them did not change the fact that they were still here and she needed to act.

"First; sound battle stations and initiate emergency evacuation." Mary began, running off orders from the top of the head. There was so much to be done and so many preliminary preparations to take care of if they were to get out of Siraj alive. "Transmit the same to the  _Purgatory_  and have her move behind the planet's moon. That will make it a little harder for that Star Destroyer to find her. Prepare a shuttle for me, I'll be heading towards the  _Purgatory_  within twenty minutes and get all department heads here right now, I can't waste time trying to hand out orders to half a dozen sections."

"Shall I accompany you to the  _Purgatory_?" Nathan asked.

"No," Mary shook her head and met his eyes. "Nathan, one of the command staff needs to make it. If I don't, I'm counting on you to take command. Get everyone away from here no matter what the cost. Cut and run if you have to but take as many of our transports and our forces with you. There is only one reason for an attack fleet of this size, they intend to hit us with everything they got and take a hell of a lot of prisoners. If they capture as many of us as I think they are going to try, the Rebellion may never recover."

"I understand." Nathan spared her the trouble of saying it because he understood clearly what was about to happen. This was going to be a devastating defeat if they did not move quickly. Casualties would be high but if the cost of saving the whole was to sacrifice some, then that was what would have to be done. Each member of the Rebel Alliance knew what they faced when fighting for a greater ideal. "I think we all do." He glanced at the others around him and saw that it was the truth.

Mary swallowed hard and faced them proudly; raising her chin and taking on the dignified persona that made so many follow her into battle no matter what the cost. "If they come for us, they come for us." Mary responded, making eye contact with each person in the room because that was what they deserved it. "If they try to destroy us, we will fight back and if they try to capture us," she paused a moment to catch her breath. "If they try to capture us then we will die fighting and take a hell of a lot of them with us!"

A roar of agreement erupted throughout the room as those present voiced their solidarity to resist the forces coming for them, no matter how insurmountable the odds might be. Mary had never been prouder of being their leader then at this instant. For a few seconds, she indulged the swell of pride she felt for all of them because she had a premonition that before this day was done, many of them would be dead. 

* * *

 

"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL - IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE SYSTEM, PROCEED TO YOUR STATIONS AND BEGIN IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY EVACUATION. REPEAT IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE SYSTEM."

Chris knew there was trouble even before the klaxons began screaming throughout the rebel base.

He could feel it radiating from Mary like the heat of a thousand suns. It forced him to leave his quarters where he had been meditating and hurry towards the operations center. He had barely made it out the door when that electronic alert boomed through the air and was heard by all. Chris watched the faces as the information was relayed to them by the mechanical voice and saw the fear that surfaced as understanding seeped into their consciousness, regarding the level of danger that was facing them.

For a few seconds, Chris was almost as shocked as they were by the abrupt arrival of such grim news, wondering why the Force had not forewarned him such danger was coming. While he might not be able to sense what exactly the trouble was, his Jedi abilities should have normally given him some indication there was something on the horizon, even if it was vague.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to debate how it had snuck up on him as it had the other members of the Rebel Alliance.  The threat was here and he had to deal with it in just the same manner. By the time he entered the main juncture of the corridor, he saw the rest of the rebels reacting to the news they had been given and were moving quickly to their posts in order to begin the evacuation. Still, the scant information provided did not alleviate their increasing anxiety and without the ability to fully understand what was going on, gave some of them reason for greater panic.

Like a room filling with water, Chris was soon in danger of being drowned in a tidal wave of emotions thick with fear. The surge was so powerful he had trouble keeping it all out of his mind at first. He had reinforce his internal shields so he could crushed it ruthlessly beneath the weight of iron control. If he could not, he was no good to anyone and he had a feeling everyone was needed if they were to survive this.

Chris rounded the corner, all the while trying to avoid bodies running up and down the corridors, trying to get to their respective posts to help with the evacuation order. He caught sight of Vin Tanner was standing in the middle of the corridor. Judging by where he was standing, Vin had just come from the mess hall before he was frozen in this tracks, staying in one place as he allowed the others to sweep past almost as if he was stalled for some reason. When Chris neared him, the Jedi saw that his younger apprentice was silently meditating in the midst of the chaos swirling around him. It took no more than a second for Chris to discern what he was trying to do. Vin, who did not have the experience and the depth of training he had, was attempting to shut out the increased level of heated emotions invading his mind from those around him. Upon sensing Chris's approach, he raised his eyes to his Master and was clearly relieved to see him.

With Chris in his sights, Vin felt a little more confidence and closed his eyes once more, focusing his concentration on hearing Chris's thoughts and no one else. He forced the invasive noises to some place in his mind that seemed very far away, clearing the path so Chris could send directly into his mind and Vin could hear it without distraction. Once he connected with Chris's thoughts, it was easy to push the voices even further into the dark until all that remained of them, were lingering whispers on the edge of his consciousness. He started breathing a little easier once he felt his mind his own once more, and tried to shake the uneasy aftertaste of so many frightened emotions.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked concerned once he reached Vin, needing a verbal confirmation of the settling discord he sensed in the younger man a few seconds ago. When he had sensed Vin's difficulty, he reinforced Vin's efforts with his own abilities, allowing the young man to create the connection between them both that allowed him to restrain all the other voices.

"Yeah," Vin nodded taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Just got to me a minute there. All that fear from the Empire finding us just got a little overwhelming. I'm fine now. Do you know any more than what's been announced?" Vin asked him, aware that Chris's connection to Mary sometimes gave him access to more information than readily available.

"No," Chris answered automatically as he saw the evacuation procedures gain momentum around them. "But I can tell it's bad. It's got Mary plenty worried."

"That's not good." Vin commented and fell into stride with Chris when the Jedi started moving. "What scares Mary is usually pretty bad. I wonder how they found us?"

"I doubt it matters any more," Chris replied as they arrived at the hangar bay and saw Mary was already there.

She was standing in the middle of the flight deck surrounded by fighter pilots and squadron commanders to whom she was giving out instructions on what to do. Despite the fact the hangar bay was alive with activity with technicians and maintenance people working hard to prepare ships as well as continuing with the evacuation, they were still focussed on what she was saying. Chris and Vin immediately melted into the crowd, noticing Buck and JD amongst the pilots. Around them, flight technicians were working at frantic pace in order to prepare all the fighters for launch. Both Buck and JD were also wearing orange flight suits, indicating Buck had probably handed over the  _Rogue_  to Louisa to pilot in order to aid the evacuation. The lady was not fighter pilot but she did know how to fly a ship and at this time, all their resources, no matter how unlikely, would have to be utilized.

As he joined Buck and JD, Mary glanced briefly at Chris before she resumed talking again. Even though he could sense she was glad to see him, she was now very much in the persona of the responsible rebel leader about to lead her troops into battle. That side of her saw him as nothing more than one more person under her command she had to save. Sometimes, Chris wondered how the weight of that responsibility did not snap her in half. It made him grateful that he was just a Jedi Knight.

"The first destroyer had been identified as the  _Shadowstar_ , she's Commander Daris ship." Mary continued to speak once he and Vin were settled into the group. "Our current monitoring of the ship has her placed on a direct interception course with the  _Purgatory_. My belief is she will attempt to keep the _Purgatory_ from the main body of the fleet."

"Why?" Josiah inquired. "We don't have any other heavy warship capable of taking the other three."

"There's four of them?" Vin hissed in horror.

"Yes," Mary nodded upon hearing Vin's exclamation. "There are four star destroyers and they are all heavy battle cruisers. We've identified them as the  _Shadowstar_ , the  _Phoenix_  and the  _Nimbus_. We have not been able to identify the lead ship. However, it appears the  _Phoenix_  is moving into position to launch several smaller ships to the surface. These most likely contain surface troops for a ground assault as well as walkers and armoured carriers. Walkers and armoured carriers need something of a level terrain to proceed so I'm assuming that when they get here; they'll be coming at us from the northwest quadrant. Captain Jackson will be in charge of mobilizing our ground pounders to hold them back while we continue the evacuation procedure."

"Commander what about the other two ships?" Audrey asked.

Mary took a deep breath and responded. "I assume as soon as they are in range, they will attempt to disable the ion cannon and begin aerial bombardment of the base in order to disable our shield generator."

A low hush moved throughout the room as everyone came to terms with how critical the situation had become. Mary waited until the sound dissipated before she resumed speaking. "I will be boarding the  _Purgatory_  shortly so squadron commanders these are your orders. Major Kelis; I want you and Red squadron to prevent as many carriers from landing on the surface. Give Captain Jackson as much aerial support as possible because I am almost certain that when those ships land, they will do so with aerial support of their own. Once the transports touched down, they'll come after our shield generator to create a two pronged attack. One from the ships in space and the other through their fighters. Until they lower our shield generator, they know we can keep them at bay indefinitely. I don't underestimate them enough to think they won't try and strike there first."

"Yes Sir," Kelis answered from the crowd.

"Captain Wilmington, thank you for assuming command of Blue squadron." Mary spoke in Buck's direction, offering a little smile of gratitude. "I will need you and Colonel King of Gold squadron to boost the fighter ranks on the  _Purgatory_. We have to disable the  _Shadowstar_  quickly and decisively if we are to prevent the other two ships from destroying our transports as soon as we try to leave the surface. You'll have some latitude in firing protocols because I think the Empire is more interested in prisoners, so they will be attempting to board as many ships as possible, not outright destroy them."

"What about our transports?" Louisa Perkins asked. "Will they able to get past the Imperial blockade?"

"Lieutenant Dunne and Green squadron will provide fighter escort to all transport leaving the system. They will also have additional support from the ion cannon to clear the way as much as possible. Alright, you have your orders," Mary said concluding the debriefing because she needed to get to the  _Purgatory_  as soon as possible. "Those of you needing more information can report to your squadron leaders. You're dismissed." She ordered and then added before they had a chance to break up. "May the Force be with you."

With that the large crowd started to disperse with pilots hurrying to their ships or gathering around their squadron commanders in order to get further instructions on what they would be facing. Mary stood alone in the crowd for a moment as she caught her breath and despite her optimistic face in front of her troops, only Chris knew just how worried she was at theri chances of surviving the day. Her expression softened upon seeing him because it was a relief to be able to be herself with just one person, even if she had to portray an iron front to everyone else. The others held back from approaching her for the time being, allowing their leader a brief interlude with the Jedi to make their own farewells.

"I have to go soon." She said softly as they came together.

"I know," he nodded. "I should come with you."

"No," she shook her head. "I won't be able to think straight if you're up there with me. I need to be focused about this if we're going to get out with our skins intact."

"Mary it will be okay," Chris assured her, taking her hands in his and allowing himself to soak in the texture of her lovely blue grey eyes. There was so much he wanted to say to her at this moment, so much he wished he could convey to her, even if it was to make her feel a little better rather than his own selfish reasons. Unfortunately now was not the time. Her mind needed to be clear. For what she had to do for all of them to survive, there was no choice on the matter. He just wished he could...

No, Chris thought to himself. Not now. Not like this.

However, Mary had other ideas because it was very likely that she might not survive this day. Throwing caution to the winds and knowing this had to be done once before the courage left her, Mary pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss. She saw Chris's eyes widen in surprise and there was the natural impulse to pull away but her hand slid around his neck and she held on, trapping him in the power of her kiss. She did not care that the others had started to stare in surprise by this intimate gesture between their commander and their resident Jedi Knight. All she cared was whether or not he felt the same and how dreamy his lips tasted against her own.

Part of him was astonished she had dared to take this step, even when he felt the silken luxury of her lips against his mouth. He had wanted this moment for so long but had been hesitant to do so because he feared so many things. It amazed him she had dared to take the initiative when he had not. However, when he felt her scent heavy in his lungs, her tongue probing gently past his teeth and pulling him closer with each breath she took of him into her body, Chris knew nothing had ever felt so right in his entire life. He wanted nothing more than to ravage that sweet mouth, to explore it forever as he arms slid around her waist. Pulling her close to him, he could feel her heart pounding against his. For an instant, it almost felt as if they were beating together as one.

However, the moment as powerful as it was could not last and far sooner than either of them would have liked, Mary started to pull away. As much as he meant to her, those under her command needed her more. Meeting his gaze, Mary saw just how much the kiss had meant to him and it drew a little smile across her face.

"Please take care of yourself. If anything were to happen to you, I don't think I could stand it." 

"I'll be fine," he responded, feeling his heart aching inside his chest because of the two of them, it was most likely Mary who was more vulnerable than him. She was going to face the enemy head on against overwhelming odds. "And I'll be with you, one way or another. You know that."

"Yes," she smiled. She did. She could feel him inside her soul, even when he was light years away. It gave her a great deal of comfort and certainly would on  _this_ day. "I do."

"Commander," Nathan interrupted, hating to intrude but there was no choice. She was needed on the  _Purgatory_  and she had to leave soon if she was to reach the ship at all. "You need to leave."

"Yes," she pulled away from Chris completely, the tender features of the woman Chris was almost certain he loved disappearing and replaced by the hardened warrior ready for battle. "You take care," she said finally and then turned to the others who standing by closely. "All of you, stay alive no matter what."

They all responded in a chorus of affirmations to that fact but the truth was, all of them were far more concerned about how she would fare rather than their own lives.

With that, Mary turned on her heels and walked away, without giving Chris a second look. He watched her make her way to the transport and felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking sideways, he saw Vin standing by him, looking onward sympathetically.

"She'll be back Chris, she's the best commander in the fleet."

"Yeah," Buck agreed. "You know Mary, she'll run rings around those Imperials bastards."

Chris did not respond for a few seconds because the Force had given him a flash of insight in the last few seconds and though he did not know anything for certain, what he felt in his heart was clear enough allow him one accurate comment.

"Then why do I get the feeling that I'm about to lose her?"


	6. Farewells

After Mary had gone to the  _Purgatory_ , she left behind an atmosphere of heavy foreboding.

Although the situation left the base charged for action, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind their departure from Siraj was going to be anything but easy. While no one had seen the star destroyers for themselves, the Imperial ships were present in the thoughts of all rebel personnel as they raced against time to complete the evacuation they knew would not be accomplished before those destroyers arrived. Knowing that sapped morale considerably, from the maintenance tech working in the depths of the base to the higher offices of the command structure, especially when they bore in mind that their leader Mary Travis was facing those destroyers with less than adequate defences. Mary’s legend had great effect on those under her command. Her ability as a military commander and the warmth of her command style had produced unswerving loyalty from those serving under her. They returned her protectiveness for them in kind and were mindful that when she faced the four ships coming for them, she may not survive the encounter.

Chris could feel their concern as he aided in the ground defence of the base. How much they cared touched him on a personal level since he too, was filled with the same worries and at that moment, more than any other, he felt the deep kinship formed since he had joined the Rebellion. Chris never thought he would come to care for anyone as much as he had cared for the order of the Jedi and the family he lost. However, the entry of Mary into his life had changed things for him so much the possibility she could die filled him with dread. Despite his effort to crush the fear inside him because it was a mind killer and the most dangerous liability a Jedi could have, he could not keep thinking about Mary and what she was facing. He thought about the kiss they shared together and was unsurprised she had the courage to take the first step in altering the boundaries of their relationship. They had been dancing around each other’s feelings for too long now and he supposed it was just like Mary to make the decisive move.

She had always been the stronger of the two of them.

Chris and the rest of the seven were still inside the hangar bay. Following Mary’s departure, the fighter squadrons had lingered long enough for orders to be given. Buck was leading a squadron against the fighters, while JD's would provide air support to the departing transports. Some of the commanders involved in the ground assault were flocking around Nathan who did not appear to be pleased giving the orders. Although he was something of her executive officer, meaning he kept track of the all the incidentals allowing Mary to do the things she needed to do as commander, Nathan was not much of a strategist himself. He was capable at ensuring people and resources were utilized to their fullest capacity and Chris could sense how much he loathed being charge of so many when the slightest error could cause them their lives. Nathan was too much the idealist to be issuing commands that could sent people to die.

"I want all our portable batteries on their carriers and ready to go to the northern perimeter." Nathan declared, issuing orders to the ground pounder commanders who were listening to him for instructions to proceed. "I want all the portable armour piercing weapons we have issued to those in the front lines. I’ve seen those Imperial walkers and AT-AT’s, they’re almost impossible to destroy without air support."

"How we gonna beat that kind of assault?" One of the voices asked.

"We don’t have to beat them, we just have to delay them long enough for the rest of the base to complete evacuations procedures."

No one seemed very hopeful and who could not blame them? The chance of surviving an Imperial assault of the magnitude coming at them was next to impossible. The Empire was better equipped and had more access to unlimited reinforcements, where else the rebels of Siraj would be fighting with what was on hand and when that was exhausted, there would be nothing else. Still, they all understood the cause for which they fought and all of them understood dying was a required sacrifice when one was fighting for the freedom of an entire galaxy.

"I want all ground troops ready to move within the next twenty minutes." Nathan continued to speak. "We need to set up a defensive perimeter just beyond the range of the base. The enemy will be attempting to disable our shield generator through any means possible. If they can’t do it by air, they’ll make the attempt by land, which means they’ll be coming straight for us. If the shield generator is destroyed, we’ll completely defenceless and they’ll begin bombarding us from orbit."

Everyone understood and Chris noted the grim determination on the faces of those present. Suddenly, the sombre mood of overwhelming odds was replaced by purpose. They needed something to do and Nathan had just done himself a favour by giving those under his command an achievable goal. Forgetting for the time being the grander scope of their situation and concentrating on a less daunting task had gone a long way to convincing those assembled that they might survive the day. Chris could feel it surging through them, the iron clad resolve that was infectious in its own way. Nathan’s expression had altered from trepidation to powerful desire to see his comrades through this present crisis. Beneath that however, Chris sensed Nathan’s silent wish that Ezra Standish was here instead of him. Chris could not deny that he wished the same thing.

Ezra Standish was cut from the same cloth as Mary, except he was more prone to denying it than Mary who saw command as her responsibility. 

It was through his abilities as a Jedi was Chris able to deconstruct the complex structure of Ezra’s psyche. A normal person could not have done it because the façade Ezra constructed around his true self was almost fool proof. Beneath that veneer of dapper charm and confidence was someone who wished very much to belong and still felt alone in a crowd. Humiliations early in life had eroded Ezra’s esteem to almost nothingness and instilled at the core of him, a deeply rooted insecurity he would never be considered good enough, so there was no reason to try.

It was terrible waste, Chris thought. It was a waste because if he simply allowed himself to believe that he was the equal of any man present, he would learn his ability to lead was almost equal to Mary. She held the advantage because she did not doubt herself to the degree Ezra did. Her mindset was simple, do the job by any means necessary while Ezra’s was do the job, but cover all bases in case it failed. It was a minor difference to anyone else but to the persons that they were, it was a gulf as wide as galaxy itself. For the moment however, whatever the differences in them, the Rebellion could sorely use Ezra’s leadership about right now.

"Alright, move like you got a purpose!" Nathan barked finally, scattering the soldiers present before him with that loud demand.

Chris and Vin took that moment to approach Nathan, aware that their services would be best utilized if they were fighting at their friend’s side that appeared to need all the help that he could get. Around them, the evacuation was in full swing. Technicians and maintenance crews were packing as fast as they could, gathering objects in priority in case they were forced to leave before the evacuation process could be completed. Everyone was mobilized and hard at work. In the hangar bay, cargo was being moved into the transports with pilots standing by, hastening the process as much as they could.

"Nathan, where do you want us?" Chris asked.

"Right on the line with me." Nathan answered. "I need all the help I can get leading this ground assault. Josiah will be joining me as soon as he gets Casey squared away."

"Oh that will be easy." Vin retorted, knowing how difficult the young woman could be about matters of her own safety when she had decided that she was capable of helping though none of them thought she should.

"Yeah," Nathan nodded before his expression soured. "You notice we haven’t been bombarded yet?"

"I thought we’re still out of range." Vin retorted, finding that fact somewhat comforting. Aside from everything else they would be soon facing, having the structure above them blasted into rubble was something they did not need just yet.

"We should be in range of a destroyer’s main guns. They may not be able to penetrate the shields but I’ve never met any commander worth their salt who wouldn't try to soften us up before they really start laying their artillery on us."

"Maybe they want to send the fighters in to take out the generator." Chris responded.

"Could be," Nathan frowned, appearing as if that answer was not quite good enough to satisfy his curiosity. "I’m probably just a little jumpy. I don’t like taking top spot. I’m a middle man, making sure everything runs okay."

"I know," Vin replied, sensing the same things Chris did in the captain. "But you’re doing good. People look at you and know that if you can hold it together, so can they."

"Thanks," Nathan smiled, genuinely grateful for their vote of confidence.

"If it makes you feel any better, I’ve got some strange feelings myself." 

Both Nathan and Vin looked at him. Although Vin could sense most things from his master, he knew that Chris sometimes put up walls between them for the sake of his privacy. Considering what emotions must be running though his mind about Mary, Vin could understand why Chris had erected a shield over his thoughts for the last few hours. However, Chris bringing to light something unusual beyond what he must be feeling for Mary immediately sent waves of caution through the young apprentice.

"What sort of strange feelings?" Vin questioned because he had sensed nothing himself.

"I don’t sense any danger coming." Chris said with a slight grimace on his face. "Normally I get some indication that something is on the horizon, but not this time. Not at all. It was a complete surprise."

"How much of a surprise?" Nathan questioned.

"Like it just came out of thin air." The Jedi Master responded.

"I don’t like it," Vin declared immediately. In his case, he was far too new at using the Force or being a Jedi for that matter to have the premonitions Chris was referring. However, Chris’s visions were shockingly accurate. He could personally attest to it because Chris had warned him he would face Vader, less than a day or two after it had actually happened. If there was danger, Chris would normally have sensed it days before hand. Vin had thought it a little unusual he had not seen this happening to some degree but had not mentioned it because even the Jedi were fallible.

"Neither do I." Nathan responded. "Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter a whole lot since we know they’re here now."

"True." Chris nodded in agreement before he noted Buck and JD moving across the hangar deck, about to get to their ships now that they had finished debriefing their pilots.

"Buck!" Chris called out, not wishing to let his friends go before he said goodbye. While his senses had not given him any warning about what they were facing, it did tell him that such efforts were worth taking the time to accomplish since the battle they would all be facing were dire indeed.

The three of them made their way to the pilots who were readying their X-wings for departure while at the same time waiting for them to approach before they climbed into the cockpits of their respective ships. The future was always difficult to see and in this case, it was opaque as opposed to vague. Emotions always played a large hand in the outcome and with the heated feelings moving through the base at this time, their fates beyond this day was a mystery.

"Chris." Buck replied, "you caught us just in time." He gestured to all the other pilots that were climbing into the fighters around them. "We were just about to go."

"I guessed." Chris nodded. "You want to talk care up there flyboy?"

"You know me," Buck said with a cocky grin. "I’ll give em hell."

"Well you’re good at that." Vin retorted.

"Thanks a lot junior." Buck smirked. "You’ll try not to trip over your sabre I hope?"

"Its gonna get intense up there," Nathan said unable to joke at a time like this. "You just stay alive and don’t do nothing fancy."

"Me?" Buck gave him a look but his eyes said different. His eyes understood completely. Although no one had said it, it was anticipated the X wing squadrons that went to join the battle along side the  _Purgatory_  would sustain heavy losses. Mary had asked for her most experienced pilots to be in the air with her because she knew only the best would survive.

"Yeah you," JD responded. Even though JD was one of the best young pilots in the air. He was still lacking in experience and his assignment to act, as escort to the transport ships would ensure he acquired some in the future. "You ain’t that good."

"Good enough to teach you a couple of things!" Buck declared and ruffled his hair, a gesture he knew JD loathed.

"Quit it Buck!" The younger man snapped. "I’m serious!"

"He knows JD," Nathan put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. Nathan could see how afraid for Buck JD was.

"I’ll be fine." Buck looked at the younger man, allowing himself to show the warmth and affection he often revealed only by his protectiveness. "You make sure you stay out of trouble too."

"I will if you will." JD replied, hiding how much he wished he could be at Buck’s side, watching the star pilot’s back.

The other pilots were already in their ships and Buck knew he and JD had to get a move on. "You guys take care down here. Kellis is a good man but even he ain’t gonna be able to stop what you’ll have coming at you."

There was a moment of silence when the friends made their farewells with Chris wishing JD the best and Vin and the young man engaging in a little banter before it was time for the two pilots to go.

"Hey wait up!" Another voice entered the mix before Buck could turn to his ship.

The five friends turned around and saw Louisa Perkins approaching them. Since her arrival on the base, Louisa and Buck had become something of an item and his deepening affections for her could be evidenced by the fact since she entered his life, Buck did not seem as bothered about Inez and Ezra as he had been before. In fact, the pilot had come to the acceptance that life moved on and some times the roles people played in each other’s lives also altered in the same fashion.

"You come to see me off," Buck smiled in genuine pleasure at seeing the lovely redheaded morale officer.

Louisa offered him a dazzling smile and did not care she had an audience when she came right up to him and planted a warm kiss on his lips, indicating her regard for him if not her worry at how he might come through this battle. Chris and Vin could sense the strong emotions emanating from her and knew she was very worried indeed about how Buck would emerge from this crisis. However, Louisa was ever the morale officer, preferring not to show Buck her concern because it would only affect how he would conduct himself when he went to aid the _Purgatory_.

"Well I couldn’t let you take off without at least making sure you know ywhat you got to come back to." She smiled, her eyes twinkling with suggestion.

"You’re a woman after my own heart." Buck smiled as he continued to hold her in his arms.

"Its not your heart I’m after." 

"Now I’m wondering I ought to be going at all." He laughed.

"Well you know what you men are like." She chuckled. "Always getting into one scrape or another. Leaving us women to clean up the mess."

"And we’re all terribly grateful for that ma’am." Vin could not help remarking.

"Especially when  _some_  get into trouble more than others." She gave him a pointed look.

"That’s my girl." Buck said proudly but soon shifted to a more serious note. "Now you’re taking my ship out of here ain’t ya?"

"Yes," Louis nodded, trying to sound braver than she actually felt. She was scared and she guessed Chris and Vin could probably tell she was but was certain they would keep it from Buck. He did not need to know she was terrified for his life. He did not need that complication on top of everything else he was required to face today. "I've talked to Josiah and I'll be taking Casey with me."

"Casey's going with you?" JD found himself asking interrupting the moment between the two lovers. "On a transport? Is it safe?"

"That's not reassuring coming from the fact you're going to be defending them JD." Buck gave the younger man a look.

"That's not what I mean..." he stammered, not coming out and saying absolutely what he meant, especially not in front of his friends.

"We get the idea," Chris said gently, understanding completely JD's affections for Casey was something the young man was not about to admit.

"It should be alright," Nathan spoke up since he was in a better position to comment on the situation than anyone else present. He had stood alongside Mary when she had first formulated her strategy on the deployment of troops and ships to launch the rebel counter _attack_ on the Imperial offensive. "We're guessing they'll be more interested in lowering our shield generator and taking down the Purgatory to come after our transports."

Although he tried not to react, Chris could not help but stiffen slightly at the probability those four star destroyers were more interested in the ship Mary was presently commanding than the rest of the rebellion. Worries for her life surfaced inside him once more and Chris crushed them mercilessly a split second later, but not fast enough to keep Nathan from seeing the expression on his face at the mention of it.

"Aw hell Chris," Nathan quickly apologized. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Its okay Nathan," Chris replied, putting the man at ease. "I understand the risks she has to take. Its what she is."

"Look," Louisa spoke out loud. "I know Mary Travis longer than anyone else here and she may be a stubborn, thick headed, arrogant..."

"I am guessing this is going somewhere?" Buck glanced at her.

Louisa ignored him and continued. "She is also the most brilliant commander I have ever served with and if anyone can fight those Imperial ships up there. Its Mary."

Chris offered the lovely redhead a smile. "Thank you."

"You better get going," Nathan spoke up. Buck and JD's squadron were awaiting them to proceed and time was too much of a factor to waste on lengthy farewells. He hated being the voice of reason but as commander while Mary was off the base, he had no choice but to make the hard decisions. "They're waiting for you up there."

"Yeah," Buck nodded in understanding and turned to Louisa once more and kissed her again. "You know I'm crazy about you if I'm letting you take my ship."

"That's for sure." Vin remarked and earned a slight jab in the ribs from Nathan for the effort.

"I promise I won't get a scratch on her," Louisa said holding her hand to her heart. "If you promised to stay in one piece."

"You can bet money on that." He grinned and turned towards the small ladder that led to the cockpit of his X-wing fighter. "JD, you keep her safe now."

"I will," JD promised, trying to hide his own fears for Buck's life and started towards his own ship after receiving further words from his friends wishing him a safe return.

"Hey Buck," Chris called out as Buck climbed into the cockpit. "I think I've gotten too used to you butting into my life so make sure you don't stop any time soon."

Buck stared at his oldest friend in the world and nodded in silent understanding of what Chris was attempting to say. "I don't intend to."

With that, he slid into the cockpit of his ship and pulled the canopy of her his head. The others watched him for a few more seconds before they in turn began to scatter. There was too much too do and not enough time in which to do it. Chris noted how Louisa was staring at the X-wing as its engines came to life a few seconds later and felt the outpouring of feeling from her to know she did love his friend but the nature of what she was kept her from saying it out loud.

It was an affliction that a good many of them were suffering at this time.

* * *

On board the  _Chimaera_ Thrawn stood beside the slicers he had under his command, watching them work as he put into effect the plan he told none of the other commanders about. In his lifetime, Thrawn knew the best way for the machinery of war to function was to not tell all the cogs in it what the others were doing. Although he doubted the other commanders could do very little to effect the duty he was watching the slicers at the console perform, Thrawn liked to minimize the risk by keeping as many people out of the loop as possible. When the time came, what he had done here would be clear to them and they could act upon it, as he desired. However, for the moment, the secret was his and he intended to savour it for as long as it lasted.

"How long?" He asked one of the code breakers at their station.

The leader of the group looked up immediately and answered. It was never wise to be silent when Thrawn demanded a response. "It is a complex program," the young man swallowed nervously. "The burrowing takes time. Piggybacking the signal as is needed to spear through their outer defences is not easy. It takes a great deal of coordination."

"I am certain you will get it done soon." Thrawn said sharply. The menace in his voice was clear.

"Yes Sir." The man nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously and the feeling rippled through the faces of all those present at the station with him. "It will be done."

Thrawn nodded and strode away, returning to the center of the bridge and was immediately met by Pallaeon who had been issuing his attack orders since the Grand Admiral had taken a moment to check on the progress of the duty he assigned the slicers. Thrawn returned to the command chair as Pallaeon took up position next to him to offer the latest intelligence on the deployment of ships. The bridge was a scene of frantic activity with officers and personnel crisscrossing the floor to issue orders and make progress reports as they carried out their assigned tasks. Thrawn watched the pace and found himself taking a deep breath, almost as if doing so would allow him to take the charged atmosphere into his lungs and strengthen him.

"Any sign of the  _Purgatory_?"  Thrawn inquired as he swivelled around in his chair and faced the large window providing a spectacular view of the space they were moving through. In the distance, the iridescent glow of the planet that was home to the rebel base, lay in the foreground while behind it; the watery texture of the star itself glimmered through the twilight space.

"She's moving towards the  _Shadowstar_  to intercept." Pallaeon answered automatically. "As you suspected she would."

"Well its not a difficult assumption," Thrawn replied indifferently. Almost everything was transpiring as he had expected it would. That was the advantage of laying good groundwork to a expedition such as this. "She needs to get her transports away. No doubt an evacuation process is hastily being undertaken within the rebel base. She believes if she can drive the  _Shadowstar_  away from the planet, it will open up a corridor of space wide enough for her people to make their escape."

"Should we not move our ships to keep that from happening?" Pallaeon inquired and then wondered why he was questioning Thrawn who had no doubt anticipated this eventuality long before it formed in his head. 

"No." Thrawn responded, forgiving the lieutenant for his naiveté. "A few transports getting past us is a sacrifice I am willing to endure if it means closing the net around Travis. In the final analysis, we will do far more damage to the Rebellion with her capture then we would destroying transport ships. Do not doubt that for an instant."

When it came to Thrawn, there was very little that Pallaeon did doubt.


	7. Burrow

As an uncle, Josiah Sanchez was well aware he had been lacking.

In some ways, he was closer to Mary Travis in that role than he was to the child of his sister Hannah. This state of affairs had mostly come about because Mary was a native of Coruscant and during his career as a Republic senator, Josiah spent most of his time there rather than his native Sollust. He missed the most important times in Hannah’s lives although as siblings went, they were close and had corresponded regularly. His responsibilities on Coruscant kept him away and Hannah understood this because being the representative of their world on the galactic stage meant that there was a price to be paid. Hannah knew she would have to be content with her brother’s time being spent mostly in Coruscant and continued with her own life, treating his appearances as life’s little pleasures.

When Palpatine made his bid for power and Josiah threw his lot in with the voices that stood opposed to it, Josiah never dreamed what a terrible cost Palpatine would exact in response to their defiance. Even now, whenever Josiah thought about that night, his blood would boil in his veins and the need for vengeance would strip away years of polished calm. None of the senators defying the shift in government from democratic to autocratic had any notion of what Palpatine had planned and the attacks had come in the night across a dozen worlds at almost the same time. Thus no one was able to warn each other until it was too late. They had come for Hannah and her husband in this manner, murdering them in their beds and the same fate might have befallen Casey had she not been staying with visiting the home of her Aunt Nettie.

In assuming responsibility for her, Josiah thought at first that it was safer to keep her at a distance but her near capture by Imperial forces on Bespin taught him how much of a mistake that was. Thus he decided, though somewhat reluctantly perhaps it would be wiser to keep her closer to him, so he could personally attend to her safety and her growth. Of course, having an impetuous seventeen-year-old with more than a passing knowledge of codes and slicing techniques did pose problems of its own. Josiah had endured most of it stoically because she was his blood and because she reminded him a great deal of Hannah and Josiah was determined to do better for Casey than he had done for his sister. However, at this moment, he wished she was anywhere but here and despite the fact the feeling would probably pass with the danger, he could not help cursing himself for placing her in this position. Especially when she had ideas of her own.

"But Josiah I can help!" She cried out as he stood by and watched her pack her things.

"No you can’t." Josiah retorted, his voice coming from him in a growl. "The minute you’re packed, you and Captain Perkins will be lifting off in the  _Rogue_. I want you out of here."

"Josiah I know I can be of some help!" Casey insisted once more, not about to let the matter rest. "By the looks of it we need all that we can get."

"Casey," Josiah sucked in his breath and straightened up, a gesture, which indicated to his young niece he was not appreciating this continued debate. "Everything that can be done is being taken care of. Right now, the best thing you can do is to be out of harm’s way."

"Don’t you mean out of your way?" She accused with just a hint of petulance in her voice.

Josiah’s expression hardened. "What do you mean?"

"I think that you just don’t want me getting underfoot. I’m not a child anymore." She declared, holding her ground and not about to let him brush her off.

"I know you’re not a child," Josiah sighed, wishing he could carry on this conversation any time but now. "I want you to go because I’m not sure I’ll be able to take you myself."

The words sunk in after a second of their speaking and she swallowed visibly, having never considered the possibility the situation might become so dire his life was in jeopardy by choosing to remain behind to defend the place.

"Josiah are things really that bad?" She asked, her voice nothing more than a soft whisper.

"Yes," Josiah nodded supposing in the last few minutes that she was right, she was no longer a child anymore. She was almost a young woman and the life she had chosen for herself in the Rebellion had certainly earned her the right to know everything, no matter how brutal that knowledge may be for her sensibilities. "The general consensus is that if we make it out of here, we will be lucky."

Casey said nothing for a second, feeling tendrils of fear moving through her body at the prospect of losing the only family she had left. Even though she spoke rarely about it, Casey missed her mother and father terribly but voicing that hurt would only serve to have others treat her even more like a child and it was not what she wanted. She wished they would understand there was no reason to protect her because she had seen first hand what dangers existed beyond the veil of safety they tried to provide for her. She could see Josiah’s own anxiousness at what awaited him and understood at that moment his reason for sending her away was not that he feared for her life but rather he feared the effect losing his would have upon her. He did not wish her to see him dead, not until it was absolutely necessary. In understanding, the fight left her like a breath exhaled and she raised her eyes to it, somewhat sedately but in full comprehension of the situation.

"Alright Josiah," she nodded obediently. "When Louisa gets here, I’ll go."

"Thank you," Josiah said relieved but saw she understood his intentions. "Whatever happens, I need you to stay alive."

"Whatever happens," Casey met his gaze. "I need you to try to do the same."

* * *

On the bridge of the  _Purgatory_  all was deathly silent.

Perhaps it was because the situation as so critical. As Mary Travis sat in her command chair, she showed no evidence of any anxiety the rest of the bridge crew must surely be experiencing as they saw the four destroyers coming for them in the main viewer. Until now, the  _Shadowstar_  had only engaged the  _Purgatory_  and that effort was obligatory. Mary suspected it was mostly to keep her from going after the  _Phoenix_ , which was attempting to deploy its troops on the surface of the planet.

What disturbed her however, was the lack of action from the two other ships, the  _Nimbus_  and the  _Chimaera_. For the moment, the two star destroyers seemed content to hold back and watch her engage the  _Shadowstar_. Something about that disturbed Mary greatly and she knew it bothered Chano too but the exec was keeping it to himself for the time being. It was bad for morale if both command officers displayed their lack of facts regarding the battle ahead.

"Chano," Mary motioned her exec to her side.

"Yes Sir?" Chano leaned closer to her, taking note of the tone in her voice to know she wanted their conversation discreet.

"Does this feel right to you?" She asked quietly.

Chano took a deep breath before he answered, his gaze instinctively moving towards the viewer. The larger two vessels, the  _Chimaera_  and the  _Nimbus,_  remained motionless as if it was waiting for something. Icicles rippled down Chano's spine when he considered what that might be. The fact Mary did not know disturbed him because his commander always had some idea of what was taking place in a battle. He had served with her long enough to know it was rare she was captured completely unawares. He did not relish this time might be the first.

"No," Chano shook his head. "Do we know who is in command?"

"I'm almost certain that the lead ship is the  _Chimaera_." Mary responded. "But there is almost nothing on record about its crew or who is in command of her."

"That's unusual." Chano stared at her in some small measure of surprise. "Normally there is talk. Imperial commanders like to boast and I find it extremely unnerving that none of our spies know anything about it. I thought we usually full appraisal of these things."

"Obviously not." Mary returned. "He's holding back and I don't know if its because he's trying to see what I'm going to do or is it because he's trying to exhaust our forces. They know we only have one ship, so maybe he is trying to wear us down."

"Then we're wasting our resources dealing with the  _Shadowstar_ ," Chano retorted. "Maybe we should be conserving our strength."

"For what?" She stared at him. "We're not going to be able to withstand all of them when they finally make their move and that's what I think they're trying to do. I think they're trying to get their pieces into place and then converge upon us."

"Against all four of them?" He hissed and felt his stomach knot in fear. They would never survive that united assault.

"We have to outthink them." Mary pondered the question a moment. "We have to outthink them. The  _Chimaera_  is leading the attack," she stated firmly. "If she's pulling all the strings in the background, maybe we can cut them long enough for our transports to get out the systems. Remember, we can't beat them but we can disorientate them enough to give our people an opening."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Chano asked, seeing the flicker in her eyes, which usually indicated she had some kind of a plan. It made him feel a great deal better knowing that she had some kind of strategy in mind. Sometimes, it was all that kept them from being defeated in a battle.

"We go straight for the jugular." Mary sat up straight and this time her voice escaped her loud enough for everyone to hear. She was no longer afraid of being heard because she knew what had to be done.

"Straight for the jugular?" Chano looked at her in confusion.

"Helm." Mary spoke up, ignoring his question for the moment. "Break away from the  _Shadowstar_  and proceed at maximum burn towards the  _Chimaera_. We're going to take out their lead ship and mop up later."

"Commander are you certain about this?" Chano could not keep himself from asking following Mary's issue of orders.

"Yes," Mary nodded. "It's the only chance we have against these kinds of numbers. We'll send a spear right through the heart of them and take out the lead ship. "Chano, issue attack orders to all pilots, tell them to concentrate all fire power on the  _Chimaera_."

"Yes Sir," Chano and immediately carried out the order.

As the viewer shifted its electronic eye away from the ships and followed the  _Purgatory's_  shift to port, Mary could see the console screen next to her command chair revealing the progress of the fighters beyond the hull of the ship. There were so many TIE fighter and X-wings in the air it was hard to believe there was space between them to move. Although space was a vacuum allowing no sound to penetrate the hull of the  _Purgatory_ , Mary could feel the explosions erupting when any ship on the screen before her was destroyed. The  _Purgatory_  had pulled away so abruptly, the  _Shadowstar_  had little opportunity to react until there was an ample amount of space between them. Mary's observation of her console revealed the X-wings were breaking off and following the  _Purgatory_  as it moved at juggernaut pace towards the  _Chimaera_.

That was the only way to win this, she thought as the  _Chimaera_  appeared in the distance twilight displayed on the viewer. Go for the jugular.

* * *

"Sir she's coming straight for us!" Pallaeon exclaimed as he saw the  _Purgatory_  cutting its way through space on a direct heading for the  _Chimaera_.

Thrawn allowed himself a little smile because he had been expecting this ever since the  _Purgatory_  engaged the  _Shadowstar_. It would not take Travis long to deduce which one of the four was the lead ship and as it was in keeping with her brilliant and unpredictable style of command, the only way for her to beat the odds was to come after him. It was a bold effort and had it been anyone else but Thrawn in charge of this fleet, it might have worked. Fortunately, Thrawn had taken the time to study his enemy and her tactics in warfare, enough to be able to predict with a fair amount of accuracy what she would do when cornered in such a manner. It was part of the reason why he kept his command of the  _Chimaera_  such a closely guarded secret. He did not intend to give her the same advantage.

"You were right Sir," Pallaeon said in a softer voice once the obvious became known.

"Order the  _Shadowstar_  to keep on her rear." Thrawn continued, staring at the viewer on his own bridge with silent contemplation. "Maintain the illusion we are trying to prevent her from reaching us. Tell him to concentrate all firepower on the ship's rear engines. That has just enough desperation about it to convince Travis the  _Shadowstar_  is determined to stop her.

"What about the  _Nimbus_?"  Pallaeon inquired. "Commander Husten will want orders."

"Tell him to lay an ample barrage but ensure a sizeable gap remains between them for the time being. Has the signal come in from the  _Phoenix_?"  Thrawnglanced at the younger man briefly.

"Yes Sir." He nodded automatically. "The troop carriers and armoured walkers have been deployed."

"Good," Thrawn answered, pleased everything was falling into place. Even now, he could see the  _Purgatory_  surging away from the  _Shadowstar_ , its fighters following the Nubian warship closely and providing air support where the ship's guns could not reach. "Order him back here immediately and tell Commander Daris that when the  _Phoenix_  arrives, I want him to lay in course for the planet. The  _Phoenix_ ,  _Nimbus_  and  _Chimaera_  should be more than a match for the  _Purgatory_."

Pallaeon open his mouth to comment but Thrawn cut him off abruptly. "If he complains as Daris is often likely to do when he thinks he's being robbed of the glory, tell him that I have something particular planned for him and he will know it is when it presents itself to him." 

Pallaeon who was aware of what the Grand Admiral was thinking could only nod in agreement because the rebels would have no idea what hit them when Thrawn's genius revealed itself.

* * *

It started with slight tremor of sound. A low rumbling that could have been mistaken for the ground quaking if not for the rhythmic pace. One after the other, it was not so much a sound as it was a trembling in their bones that they could not discern cause. During the onset of its emergence, too much was focussed on their preparations in facing the enemy it never occured to them the shudder they were all feeling was not the fear of the battle ahead but the reaction to something real and tangible. Chris sensed it far sooner than that although he said nothing at first, preferring to study the horizon at the end of the field they were presently occupying. As Mary had suspected, the ground assault had come from the north because the terrain was level enough for the AT-AT’s and the armoured walkers to traverse.

The rebels had taken up position at the edge of the woods facing the grassy plain, using the cover of trees to keep their true numbers concealed. A short distance away from where they were presently preparing to face the enemy, were all their ships awaiting their departure once the evacuation process was completed. Chris could feel the Empire approaching and as he walked to the edge of the tree line and peered into the distance, he knew without doubt they were coming. Glancing at the rebels who were present, he saw them assembling the portable cannons and the large blast cannons manned by artillery units who would use them to battle the AT-AT’s everyone knew they were ill equipped to defeat. Chris could see the apprehension on their faces. It was coupled with grim determination to succeed no matter what the cost. He admired them for their courage and the devotion to the cause of freedom. There was honour in dying for a just cause.

For their sake, Chris hoped those were just not words.

Once he was certain what he was sensing was the approaching Imperial attack force, Chris found himself seeking out Nathan who was issuing orders to the commanders in charge of the cannons, Josiah included. The ground pounders were checking their weapons, settling into position while Vin joined the snipers. Chris himself had relinquished his light sabre in favour of a blaster since he would be of more use to the fighting in that manner. Suddenly, Chris noted Nathan had dismissed those before him when his com link began to beep a message. Only Josiah remained after the others had left and Nathan’s expression following his receipt of the transmission made to him spoke volumes. His emotions were a mixture of sorrow and acceptance that immediately brought Chris to him.

"What’s happened?" Chris asked.

"That was Colonel Kellis," Nathan said softly. "The Empire hit them with almost the entire fighter complement of two Star Destroyers. He doesn’t have enough pilots in the air to keep those fighters from coming down on us."

"What about the Gold and Blue squadrons?" Josiah asked, his gaze shifting to the sky to see whether there were any signs of the TIE fighters that were on their way to them.

"They can’t be called away." Nathan replied promptly. "The  _Purgatory_  is on its own up there, it needs all the help it can get. We managed to recall some of the pilots escorting the transports out of the system but they’re short too."

"My ship near by?" Chris asked suddenly.

"Yes," Josiah stared at him. "You know that."

"Good," Chris responded promptly. "Tell Kellis I’ll be up in the air within the next ten minutes."

"Chris, we need you here!" Nathan retorted, not wishing to see the Jedi leave. Chris’s presence offered morale as well as experienced combat experience.

"One more shooter is not going to make much difference down here Nathan," Chris gestured to the ground pounders before them. "However, one ship might be different."

Nathan wanted to offer more protest but the truth was, the Jedi was correct. They needed air support or no matter how well they stood up against the ground assault, it would mean little if they were blasted to kingdom come from the sky above. "Alright," Nathan conceded defeat and the words felt like ash in his mouth. "Go on and take care of yourself."

"Give them hell brother." Josiah added with a smile hating to see Chris leave the field as much as Nathan but like the captain, appreciated that Chris was most needed behind the controls of an X wing, not down here being one more gun where it would make little difference.

"What’s going on?" Vin Tanner asked. He had seen the trio gathered in the distance while he had been preparing his blast rifle for the battle and had come to investigate.

"I’m going up there." Chris said promptly.

"Going up where?" Vin asked, his expression a little dismayed because he knew what 'up there' meant.

"I’m going to join Colonel Kellis. Apparently our fighters are taking a beating. They need all help they can get."

That might be true but Vin did not wish to see Chris risking his life especially when he was not there to watch the man’s back. However, he also knew his friend well enough to know that any protests he made in that regard would more or less go unheeded. Besides, Vin was more use behind the scope of a blast rifle. Joining the Rebellion meant going where one was needed most and down here, Chris would be another gun lending his fire to a whole line of blasters. Up there, he was one ship that could make all the difference between victory and defeat. Of course he had to go.

"Good idea," Vin nodded, hiding how much he worried for the Jedi. "Watch your back though. Those Imperial flyboys play for keeps."

"I’ve been known to be able to hold my own against them but I’ll keep it in mind," Chris afforded Vin a little smile of thanks he was not making an issue of this. Chris knew how protective Vin sometimes felt towards him. The truth was, he more or less felt the same way about the apprentice and would have objected if it were Vin making the offer. However, a Jedi had to follow one’s own path and his instincts told him at the moment, he was needed up in the sky more than he was needed on the ground. If there was one thing Chris had absolute faith in; it was the Force. The Force guided him in and through all things, be it tragic or fortuitous. He had to believe there  was a reason he felt so strongly about joining the aerial siege above Siraj.

"In the meantime," he added just before he left them. "You guys make sure you stay alive."

"We will." Josiah returned. "May the Force be with us all."

With that, Chris was striding off the field towards the safe haven where their ships were awaiting for him. His X-wing was already there and would no doubt be fuelled and ready to leave in anticipation of his joining the battle above. Vin watched Chris moving further away into the distance and wished he could be as confident as the Jedi that he was needed elsewhere. 

Vin's own feelings told him Chris was taking his first step into a world of trouble. 

* * *

"I thought we were leaving." Casey asked as Louisa Perkins strode towards the command center. She was not at all happy to be leaving the rebel base but she did not wish to burden Uncle Josiah with fears about her safety and was thus begrudgingly accompanying Louisa without complaint to the hangar for their eminent departure.

"We are," Louisa remarked as she continued walking. "I just want to make sure there are no last minute instructions before we leave."

It was hard to believe Louisa could be at all flighty when the woman switched from the role of morale officer to rebel captain. This was the side of her she rarely showed anyone, especially Mary Travis. Sometimes Casey almost believed Louisa enjoyed her adversarial role with Mary so much, showing Mary her capable side would put them on too much equal footing. 

For a long time, the rebel base had been their home and to a certain extent this isolated world removed from the rest of the galaxy while they fought their little battles against the Empire, seemed untouchable. Today, there was no illusion this was anything but a place where discovery meant death. The atmosphere inside the base was charged with people running up and down the catacomb like corridors, racing to undertake one task after another, against time and fear. The tension soaked into Casey as she kept close to Louisa and she began to understand why Uncle Josiah wanted her away from here so badly.

"I won’t be long," Louisa remarked quickly following their entry into the hub of the rebel base.

She nodded just as quickly, her attention shifting towards the occurrences inside the operations center. The room was abuzz with voices of officers and soldiers, reporting their current status, requesting further instructions and relaying attack signals. There were other voices also, panicked cries of dying fighter pilots about to crash, the tense voices of Mary Travis relaying her orders, transports that were penetrating the blockade and those who did not. Casey shuddered hearing it and she finally found she needed to occupy her attention or she would run out of the room like a frightened child. She glanced at the communications station because that was something she could understand. The binary language of incoming and outgoing signals would not reveal the sheer human panic that came with more conventional forms of communication.

She saw it almost immediately and later on would realized she was the only one who could because it was her particular gift. Hurrying to the console screen, she stared at the numbers and codes filtering through the screen as if running water was moving across the glass. For a moment, her eyes remained fix on the codes moving past her, reaching their apogee in a matter of minutes.

"When did this come in?" She shouted on top of her voice and froze everyone still inside the room by its intensity.

"What?" Louis turned to her.

"This!" Casey tapped her finger on the screen impatiently, demanding an answer because only she could see its terrible potential.

A technician chose to answer her. "About ten minutes ago." He said seeing a child and addressing her as one. "Its just one of our codes bouncing back to us. It happens all the time. A faulty node in the communication relay."

"Ten minutes?" Casey felt her heart pounding so loudly, it should have droned out the sound of everything else. Ten minutes was an eternity of time when considering the language of code. Without saying anything further, she pulled up a chair and sat down.

"What is it Casey?" Louisa who knew the girl, recognized the panic in her eyes.

"This code, don’t you know what it is does?" She declared, her fingers pounding furiously on the keypad.

"This is crazy," the same technician replied. "Its just our signal!"

"It's not just your signal," she snapped glaring at them. "It’s a burrow program! It's using one of our own codes to infiltrate our mainframe!"

Casey tried desperately to stop it but the program gained strength with its invasions and by now it had breached the rebel safeguards so deeply it was impossible to pry it loose or stop it for that manner. Her stomach knotted as she struggled to keep it from going any further than it had but the truth was, it was too late. She knew it but the others staring at her did not know the true scope of their troubles. Casey did not think it would be long before they found out.

"By the Force!" Louisa exclaimed. "What’s it trying to do?"

Casey did not answer however, suddenly the lights overhead flickered for a brief instance. The aberration did not confine itself merely to the lights but also consoles screens, control panels and even sensor terminals. They rippled unsteadily before returning to normal once again. Everything that required power wavered for just a second but the alarm it sent through everyone present was not as fleeting.

"What the hell was that?" Someone demanded.

Casey studied the screen for another few seconds before her eyes met Louisa's. The expression on her face was one of absolute horror. "That was the shield generator," she said softly, her face almost ashen. "It just  _lowered_."

No sooner than the words left her lips, the first explosions roared through the air.


	8. Bombardment

Things were not going well for the rebels in this battle and they knew it.

The numbers assailing them from all side was more than overwhelming even though they were doing their level best to hold their ground. Buck Wilmington saw another ship exploding in his corner of his eye and did not even bother to look at the console before him to identify which of his comrades had just met their fiery end. There were so many Buck could hardly count and he was long past the point where he was capable of mourning just one loss at the time. His heart ached for all the lives lost, until the mourning he was enduring felt like a passenger within the cabin of his ship. He thanked the Force JD had been assigned to playing escort to the transport ships fleeing the system because the young man was too inexperienced to be engaged in a battle as vicious as this one.

Buck was barely managing to keep his own ship out of range from some hotshot TIE fighter's targeting scanner as he remained close to the body of the  _Purgatory_ surging through space towards the star destroyer that all the pilots in the air now knew to be the  _Chimaera_. With their advance towards the lead ship, the air was suddenly filled with so many TIE fighters, Buck could not even begin to guess how outnumbered they were. Ships were exploding across the dark sky one after the other, some were TIE fighters, others were X-wings. Buck found his fingers moving so fast across the controls he had hardly dared to waste time drawing breath. 

"Get closer to the destroyers!" Buck shouted into his headset, offering direction to those under his command and anyone else whom had listening. He knew a number of squadron commanders had been killed and their members were desperately seeking direction.

"Closer!" Audrey cried out. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Buck nodded inside the cockpit of his ship. "We stay close to those destroyers and we'll make those TIE fighters think twice before they shoot at us!"

"Watch your tail, Blue leader!" Buck heard some shout into his headset. Buck glanced in his scanner and saw a trio of TIE fighters closing in on him. The three ships moved parallel to each other, the outer two being wingmen for certain. No doubt these were the three systematically targeting squadron leaders to throw the X wing squadrons into disarray. Buck banked hard just as he felt a volley of shots escape the lead fighter and singed his starboard engine but not enough to disable it fortunately. The X wing rolled in mid air as it escaped the discharge of energy, forcing two TIE fighters in his path to alter course drastically and slam into each other from the force.

"Buck are you alright?" Audrey asked as she flew her ship behind the trio still in pursuit of Buck.

"So far so good," Buck said veering hard as he tried to shake his attackers. His computer console was screaming warnings as he moved into what it considered optimum targeting position to be fired upon. "Could use a little hand though."

"I'll do what I can," the colonel answered confidently and Buck could see the digital blip of her ship, opening fire on his pursuers. She struck the right wingman first, detaching the wing of the TIE fighter from the main body of the craft. Losing its balance, the TIE began spinning out of control, blue energy cackling throughout its hull before slamming into the hull of the Nimbus. The explosion on the surface of the great ship was barely negligible but every little bit that they could do to harm the destroyer was welcomed.

Buck managed to take advantage of the confusion and turn on his attacker in a sharp turn that should never be employed by any pilot with good sense. Fortunately Buck did not come into that category and found himself face to face with the pilots who would kill him and began surging towards them, firing all guns at their faces. Behind them, Audrey was also continuing her advance, locking the two TIE fighters into a pincer movement that gave them no place to run.

"Audrey," Buck spoke into the headset seeing her approach in his forward scanner. "I'll take the one the right."

"I got him on the left," she answered and although Buck could not see her face, he knew that she was smiling inside the cockpit of her ship.

The two TIE fighters tried to escape the trap they had fallen into but neither Buck or Audrey was about to let that happen. Buck held his breath as his saw the one ship falling into position of his targeting scope and hoped Audrey was similarly prepared. As soon as the TIE fighter entered the range of his guns, the targeting screen began to flash, signaling in thin green letters it was in optimum firing position. Buck needed to pull the trigger on the throttle only once and series of energy bolts escaped his main guns, streaking ahead from the bow and impacting the TIE fighter in the dead center. The circular sphere that made up its cockpit, shattered with a resounding explosion, sending the rest of its fuselage into the air as a pile of fiery debris. It disintegrated in the vacuum of space in less than a second but its demise did not spare its sister ship as Audrey's guns did their worst and caused similar destruction. Buck said nothing as he saw their remains flickered into darkness and was grateful for his near escape.

"Good shooting colonel," Buck responded. "You saved my butt."

"Thank you Captain," Audrey answered. "It was my...."

She never had the chance to finish the sentence because her ship lit up like a Roman candle in front of his eyes. Buck watched in horror as the main guns of an approaching star destroyer struck her. The  _Phoenix_  having lagged behind the _Purgatory_ in order to allow the rebel ship into place, had been ordered to move in to create the net around Mary Travis. Unfortunately, its unexpected arrival had seen Audrey's ship placed right in its path. The Y-wing cracked apart like an egg and she erupted in a spectacular ball of fire, which diminished a second later.

"AUDREY!" Buck shouted anguished, wishing what he had seen was not the end of her but he knew that it was. Within second of the explosion, she and her ship had scattered to the solar winds.

"Was that Colonel King?" Lieutenant Jammer Nabbierian asked, his voice as filled with sorrow as Buck's own had been.

"Yeah," Buck swallowed, feeling the moisture in his eyes. He blinked them away because he could not mourn her now. He could not mourn until this was over or he would be seeing more friends die just as abruptly, not to mention his own end. She had just saved his life and he had been helpless to return the favor. In a split second, his mind was filled with images of their bantering and casual flirtation. She was a friend and good officer. He could not believe she was gone. "That was her."

"Bastards!" Another pilot swore angrily. Buck recognized her as Captain Maggie Darkstar.

"Put it away for now," Buck cleared his throat once he trusted himself enough to speak. "We're going after the  _Phoenix_! Blue squadron and Gold squadron, what's left of you follow me. That ship killed Colonel King and we're going to take it out of its hide."

The _Phoenix_ had taken Audrey King from them and for that it was going to pay. Of that, Buck Wilmington would stop at nothing.

* * *

The explosion caught the attention of every rebel defending the base against the ground assault of the approaching Imperial forces. The sound roared through the air, forcing everyone to turn and stare in a symphonic of instinctive reaction. Vin Tanner found himself counted among these; his attention had been so fixated on the enemy ahead he had hardly paid attention to the danger he sensed in the sky. In the few seconds prior, Vin had felt it pressing up against his spine but attributed the sensation to the fierce battle taking place above the skies of Siraj. He did not understand until this instant it was an altogether different threat.

By the time they turned to look, rotating balls of smoke was already exuding towards the sky, tinged with fiery amber indicating the strength of blast. While they could not see the actual destruction, they could very well imagine it. The columns of smoke rising into the air were a good indication of the level of damaged sustained by the building and its ordeal was far from over. Less than handful seconds passed before they saw the orbital bombardment for themselves as a powerful beam of energy descended from the sky to strike building again. The initial blast was already causing great chunks of rock to crumble inward, creating new explosions from its impact. Vin did not have to see the terror of those still inside the building to know of its existence, he could feel it in every fiber of his being. It required concentration to block those frightened emotions, lest they overwhelmed him.

"We have to help them!" Someone shouted and Vin wholeheartedly agreed with that statement although how they were going to manage that was beyond him.

"I'm already contacting the fleet!" Nathan Jackson responded.

Vin left the line where the rebels had been laying down a wall of suppressing fire trying to kill as many Imperial troops as they could but it was a losing battle. The AT-AT's merely shrugged off the blasts while managing to return fire and creating significant losses on the rebel fortification. What the AT-AT's could not reach, the armored walkers were taking care of quite effectively and even though they were capable of being disabled by portable blast cannons, the rebels were simply not causing enough damage to be effective. They all knew they were fighting a losing battle but the goal had been to delay the enemy long enough to allow their transports to flee the planet. With the bombardment of the rebel base itself, the chances of their transport escaping the planet was remote.

"What the hell happened to the shield generator?" Vin asked as he reached Nathan and Josiah.

"I don't know!" Nathan barked back. "Somehow they disabled it. We're wide open."

Josiah suddenly turned towards the structure being blasted to kingdom come by the firepower from the unseen destroyer that was quickly reducing it to a pile of rubble. Vin sensed a swell of fear rising from the senator as a terrible realization dawned upon him .The sensation was almost alien coming from Josiah but its intensity could not be doubted as the big man's eyes stared at the building before him.

"Casey!" He shouted and started running.

"Josiah!" Nathan called out. "Come back here!"

"I'll go after him!" Vin said quickly to his friend, trying to hold things together even though it seemed everything was falling apart at the seams, despite his best effort. "You try and get someone to run interference for us or else we can forget about getting any transports off the planet or anyone else in that place!"

"Be careful!" Nathan nodded, never having doubt in regards to that because he was a soldier and as much as Josiah was his friend, he had others to think about.

Vin lost sight of Josiah as the senator ran through the jungle towards the beleaguered base. However, Vin did not need to see him. Josiah's emotions were a beacon of turmoil that kept the two of them tethered together. Josiah's concern was mostly centered on Casey and the notion she might not have made it out of the base before the explosiosn started. As the only family Josiah had left, Vin could understand his concerns and knew his reasons for following the man had more to do with stopping him from doing something foolish as well as helping him find the plucky young woman.

"Josiah wait up!" Vin shouted hoping the big man would stop and let him catch up.

However, Josiah was not listening and Vin continued closing the distance between himself and the rebel base alone. From up above, the bombardment had not stopped and each blast made Vin winced inwardly as the intensity of suffering growing tenfold. Panic and fear were running rife through his mind and he difficulty discerning it from any of his own emotions. From the distance, it had not been possible to see the level of destruction wrought by the assault from the sky. However as Vin cleared the trees and emerged in the immediate area of the base, he saw what caused Josiah's anxiety and felt the same fear coursing through him.

The destruction was vast. The base, once the bastion of an ancient race moved on, was hardly the most hospital of places for habitation but for the months he had been a member of the Rebel Alliance, it had been his home. It pained him to see the great rips in the brickwork, the gapping holes left by walls crumbled inward from the bombardment. Tongues of fire rimmed the edges of the fissures and voices belonging to those still trapped inside, added to the chaos. Vin took a deep breath to steady himself, tracking Josiah solely through the Force and knowing the senator had entered the structure through the launch bay which still remained intact, though it was unknown for how long.

Ships were departing in erratic intervals. Vin hurried to the opening to see transports making hasty departures while they still could. The hulls of some ships were pitted and scorched as they tried to gain altitude despite the obvious damage to their systems. Most made it but a few did not. Vin watched in horror as those too badly damaged crashed into the jungle, their demised marked by fireballs and the screams of doom Vin had to shut off or else he'd be paralysed by them. Upon entering the hangar bay, Vin was faced with the full extent of the damage. Conduits and wires were sending live sparks across the floor, emergency crews were trying to put out fires that would impede the progress of the evacuation. Technicians were running across the deck, shouting at pilots to take off while they still could while some were themselves bundling into ships in order to escape.

Amidst all this chaos, Vin saw Josiah. The senator was staring at the _Rogue_ , beyond horror because the ship had not taken off. Vin understood the implication as well as he. If the Rogue was still here, then so were Casey and Louisa. However, Vin was not ready to believe the worst. He could not. A Jedi needed to have faith in the Force and Vin had every hope that Casey was not dead. His senses did not admit any foreboding when he thought about the girl and Vin was certain if she had died, he would on some level be able to sense it.

"Josiah its not what you think!" Vin declared as he reached the man.

"They never made it to the ship." Josiah cried. "I should not have left her. I should have taken her away from here myself."

"Josiah we don't have time for this!" Vin grabbed his shoulder with enough force to prompt the man into moving. "She's still here and we have to find her, while we can."

Almost as if fate was attempting to support his cause, another blast was heard and the impact of the detonation shuddered throughout the structure. A section of wall came toppling down at the far end of the hangar, along with streams of dust and mortar shaken loose. The base would not be able to withstand this kind of abuse much longer. The blast placed further urgency into the actions present and shouting and orders flying about the place grew more fevered and determined. Vin looked at Josiah and tried to reach the senator.

"Think Josiah!" Vin ordered. "Where would Louisa and Casey go? What had they been planning to do when they were about to leave?" He shook Josiah and made his words have impact. "Josiah, we can't find them if you don't help."

Josiah sucked in his breath at that and nodded quickly. "Casey would not have gone anywhere," Josiah said quickly running through the possibilities in his mind. "I told her to follow Louisa and stay close to her. Louisa was going to take the _Rogue_ out of here."

"Okay," Vin agreed with that assessment, refusing to let Josiah sink into despair now he had gained some kind of clarity. "Where would Louisa go then? She wasn't transporting anything because the _Rogue_ was too well known. Just Casey."

"Yes," Josiah nodded and then stared at Vin. "She might have gone to the operations center before leaving, just to check in before leaving. With all the traffic that was going on, it would be simpler than waiting for flight clearance. That's it Vin! The operations center!"

Josiah had started to run even before the words left his lips but instead of dismay at what he would find urging him on, he was running with purpose. Vin matched him stride for stride as they hurried into the corridor leading away from the hangar. It was slow progress as they were moving against the tide of bodies, hurrying away from the main concentration of bombardment, attempting to reach the hangar and launch deck while it was still standing. Josiah was barely conscious of this and Vin made sure he kept his friend in sight so Josiah did not get away from him and get himself killed. He knew perfectly well what foolish risks emotions could lead a man to do.

Another blast was heard and this one flicked what remaining lights that were in the passageway to almost nothingness. Sections of the corridor begin to collapse with both Vin and Josiah barely avoiding being hit by a large piece of rock as it broke free from the ceiling. They took the turn to the operations center when suddenly, they were met by a large slab of rock that kept them from going any further. It effectively sealed the operations center and anyone who was in it behind a wall of rock. Josiah stared at it in shock before he threw himself at it, determined to remove the obstruction through will alone.

"CASEY!" He shouted pounding his fists against it. The block of stone was wedged in tight and did not even budge as Josiah became more panic stricken. "CASEY!"

"Josiah!" Vin pulled his away from the wall because his hands were leaving bloody stains from his relentless pounding. "Stop it!"

Suddenly a voice slice through the pause as Vin and Josiah stared at each other. "Uncle Josiah?"

"Casey!" Josiah almost flung himself against the wall again. "Casey, are you alright?"

There was a pause and what sounded like tears. "I'm okay Uncle Josiah but Louisa's hurt bad."

"We're gonna get you out!" Josiah shouted, every trace of his polished manner having given away to the fears of the terrified parent. "I promise you Casey, we will get you out!"

He turned back to Vin. "We have got to do something! We can't leave them in there!"

As he made that statement, another blast rocked through the air and he heard Casey screaming behind her prison of stone.

"Please Uncle Josiah get us out of here!" Casey cried out. "Everything is falling apart!"

Josiah stared at Vin in anguish and helplessness, not knowing what to do. He could not just leave her in there and in a short time, it would not matter anyway. Casey and everyone else behind that wall of rock would be buried alive. Josiah had never thought he could feel as useless as he did as this moment. What had he been thinking keeping her so close to him! He should have sent her far away from all this, not condemning to die in a tomb of rock!

"Vin, what do we do?" He asked the apprentice. "There's no time to dig her out!"

Vin took a deep breath and braced himself inwardly. He had to do something and in the final analysis, he was the only one who could. He had never attempted anything so ambitious before and if he failed, it would be a failure that would condemn innocent people to death. He should not have to do anything so demanding, he was only an apprentice! Stop it! His inner voice that sounded oddly like Master Yoda told him this would avail him nothing. Thinking about Yoda did remind Vin of a few things, particularly the Jedi Master's lesson about doubt.

_Not to try but do. Or not at all._

He had to _do_. Closing his eyes, Vin took a deep breath and forced himself to forget the rock was huge, its size was daunting or the fact if he could not move it, people would die. He did not think about how it would destroy Josiah if Casey were to die or the hurt in Buck Wilmington's heart if Louisa were lost to him. He emptied his mind of such thoughts because they were nothing more than a distraction he could not afford. He thought of moving the rock and only that. He paid no heed to its size or its circumstance, just the fact it needed to be moved. He closed his mind to all the other considerations and allowed the Force to flow through him. Only the Jedi could do that and Vin knew it was what he was destined to be. 

The rock started to move, slowly at first. Loose pieces of grit started to drift down its surface as it began to force itself from the passageway in which it was wedged. Vin closed his eyes and concentrated even harder, feeling his strength bursting at the seams as he dragged it forward much to Josiah's astonishment. It was hard, even though he had told himself the size of the obstruction did not matter. He closed his eyes tight, beads of sweat forming on his brow and his teeth were grinding together, his jaw tight with concentration. Vin was not aware of it but his fists were knuckled until they were white. He was almost trembling but he refused to let go of the object he could see in his mind's eye. The Force was flowing through him and he was going to do this because failure was not an option.

He was not even aware when a rivulet of blood started running down his nose as the rock wrenched itself free from its confinement with a large heave, bringing down a support beam onto the floor and raining the floor with more debris and plaster but no so much that it remained blocked. The large slab shattered when it hit the floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces as Vin finally released his grip. uttering an exhausted gasp as he toppled backwards, damn near spent entirely by that mammoth effort.

"Vin!" Josiah came to the young man and helped him to stand as Vin braced himself against the wall, feeling a white-hot pain in the center of his skull from pushing himself so hard. However, the pain was inconsequential because it was flavored by the sweet taste of success. He had done it!

"Are you alright brother?" Josiah asked, looking at him as if he was ready to embrace the apprentice for what he had done.

"Just a little winded," Vin confessed. "I haven't tried anything that ambitious before. Go on, see to Casey. I just need to catch my breath."

"Thank you Vin," Josiah said softly, his eyes glittering with emotion. "Thank you so much."

"She's my family too." Vin managed a weak smile.

"Uncle Josiah!" Casey emerged from the rubble, her face covered in plaster and dirt.

Josiah fairly picked her up in his arms and lifted her into the air like he had done when she was a child when she came into her embrace. "Oh Casey!" He laughed never more happy at anything than seeing her alive and well. "You had me so scared, little girl."

"You weren't the only one Uncle Josiah," she smiled but remembered the situation. "Uncle Josiah! Louisa's hurt and not just her!"

"Don't worry," Josiah said as he followed her into the wreckage of what was left of the operations center. "We're gonna get her help and anyone else in here who's alive to use it."

Thanks to Vin, Josiah had been delivered a miracle in being able to reach his niece and he was not about to falter for anyone else who needed it after that. 

* * *

"We're too late!" Inez Recillos exclaimed when the  _Windsong_  entered Siraj space.

Before the cockpit of the small starship was a battle of mythic proportions taking place. Although they were still some distance away from the main arena of fighting, there was no doubt the Rebel Alliance cell of Wild Space was fighting for its very life. The space before the  _Windsong_  was filled with what seemed like almost a hundred fighters, composing of both TIE's and X -wings. They were so numerous they looked like a swarm of glow beetles engaged in a frenzied nocturnal dance. Eruptions appeared sporadically over this rich tapestry of color, though there was nothing beautiful about it. Each burst or flare of light was another life being extinguished in the cold vacuum of space.

"By the Force!" Claire Moseley gasped, her eyes glimmering with the specks of lights that were ships battling each other with savage intensity.

The  _Windsong_  left Cordoba, barely keeping one step ahead of the troops were once under Ezra's command but were now directed to bring him in at all costs under Julia's command. Ezra used every security code he knew to take them through the blockade and for most part was successful but it had taken time and now they learnt what that delay had cost them. All throughout their journey to Siraj, they had been sending repeated signals to the base on Siraj, not even caring if those signals could be trace to them in their desperate effort to warn their friends of the coming danger. However, it was painfully evident none of those frantic messages had reached their destination.

Ezra's attention was not however on the number of ships involved in the battle or what those flares of light in the dark meant but rather what the  _Purgatory_  was doing at present. He watched in horror as the Nubian warship sailed through the swam of TIE fighters, shoving past the _Nimbus_ as it sailed towards the  _Chimaera_  at top speed. He watched the  _Phoenix_  joining in the fight, moving in the opposite direction towards the  _Nimbus_. At first, he could not understand what the two ships were doing. The  _Purgatory's_  trajectory was going to take her straight to the  _Chimaera_.

Then he saw the  _Shadowstar_  pull away from orbit of Siraj where it had been assaulting the surface, no doubt decimating the rebel base with aerial bombardment. The former commander of the Cordoba based watched as the  _Shadowstar_  joined the battle, also entering the arena from a completely different angle until the formation placed the  _Purgatory_  right in the middle of  _all_  four ships.

"Oh hell!" Ezra fairly swore. "Patch me in through to the  _Purgatory_!" He shouted at Inez. She had the correct codes to reach the warship, he did not.

"What? Why?" She stared at him, terrified by the intensity of his voice.

"Because she's cut off," Ezra turned to her. "Trapped."


	9. No Surrender

On the bridge of the  _Purgatory_ , the realization dawned on both Mary Travis and her crew a fatal mistake had been made.

The scanners and the display screens on the bridge, showed in perfect clarity just how grave a mistake, as the four star destroyers converged upon the Nubian warship like a pack of hounds about to tear their helpless prey to a thousand shreds. The  _Purgatory_  continued to surge towards the  _Chimaera_ , still motionless in space, allowing the smaller ship to be led into the masterfully crafted trap created by the Grand Admiral in command of the expedition to Siraj. As Mary clutched the armrests of her chair, staring at the digital representations of the four ships as they surrounded the  _Purgatory_ , she realized she had underestimated her enemy and it was going to cost her dearly. He had moved his ships around in such a disorganized pattern Mary assumed she was dealing with a commander who had no idea what he was doing. Too late did she understand the ships had been dispersed this way to trick her into thinking just that.

Now she had committed herself to attacking the  _Chimaera_ , the trap had closed with all the other ships recalled to surround  the  _Purgatory_  on all fronts. Mary did not look at her crew. She could not. She was too ashamed to meet them in the eye after what she had done. They were just aware as she of what had happened, that they were trapped by Imperial forces on all sides, thanks to her mistake, in a kill zone. As the  _Shadowstar_ created the last link in the barrier that would prevent any of them from escaping this engagement alive, Mary forced herself to think because she could not let it end this way. The enemy knew what she was going to do, had decided long before even arriving at Siraj she was unpredictable, that she would take the fastest course to victory even at the risk of it being the most daring and dangerous. Who on earth was in the  _Chimaera_  who could predict her actions so easily?

"Commander," the com officer spoke up over the hushed silence throughout the bridge. "The  _Chimaera_  is hailing us."

Mary met Chano’s gaze and they knew there could be only one reason for such a request at communication. Surrender. The  _Chimaera_  was giving the  _Purgatory_  the chance to end this before she and her ship were destroyed. However, Mary knew what that surrender would entail. They were all accused of treason and in the Empire of Palpatine, there was only one sentence for those crimes; death. She sucked in her breath, deciding what was to be done in that instant. "Let’s hear it."

At the very least, she wanted to see the face of the enemy.

The display screen before her flicked momentarily and the commander of the  _Chimaera_  appeared before the crew of the  _Purgatory_. Mary did not recognized him at first but this was only a momentary lapse because her mind was already remembering Buck’s forced trip to the Maw some months back. It had been commissioned and paid for by a Grand Admiral named  Thrawn with indigo colored skin, crimson eyes and a white uniform as befitting an officer of that rank. She had never met a Grand Admiral and seeing this one scared the daylights out of her because it was he who had maneuvered them into the position she and the rest of the rebels found themselves. She wondered would her actions have changed if she had known it was a Grand Admiral she was dealing with. She supposed she would never know.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, I take it." Mary said coolly, showing no fear. She would not give him the satisfaction.

"Commander Travis." Thrawn nodded in what appeared almost an acknowledgement of respect. He did not show any reaction to her knowledge of his identity. "It has been a good game but I think its time to end this."

"I don’t know," Mary retorted. "I might surprise you."

"You have been a formidable foe," Thrawn answered coolly. "I have enjoyed our little engagement, however, the fact remains you are surrounded on all fronts. Your rebel base has been compromised and your fighter fleet is in tatters. You have lost even if you are unwilling to admit that."

Mary showed no response to the dismal accounting of the day’s losses. "We will not surrender." She said icily. "If we were to surrender, I am aware every man and woman under my command will be killed before we even reached Coruscant."

"I am not a judge or an executioner," Thrawn answered her truthfully. "However, I cannot speak to how my government will respond to their fates. The Rebel Alliance is a threat to galactic security and carries a charge of treason and sedition. Your people knew that when they took up arms against the lawful government."

Mary almost responded to that but held her anger in check because it would not serve any purpose to let him see she was checkmated. Showing nothing of what she intended to do about his ultimatum, if anything, Mary stared back at Thrawn. "I will not argue ideology at this time Admiral," Mary responded. "Suffice to say why should we surrender when the consequences of dying here and now might be preferable to being taken home as your trophies?"

"Because I am not interested in the others." Thrawn returned in that cool voice that indicated he had everything under control and was about to show her how much it was out of her hands. "I am interested in you, Commander Travis. It was not the rebel stronghold in Siraj that brought my participation in this affair. It was you. I intend to present the Emperor his prize one way or another."

Mary felt the rage bubble inside of her as she realized all this carnage had been attributed to vanity’s desire to have her as a trophy. She thought of the lives lost already, not just in the air but on the planet itself and felt the fury choke the reason from her. Raising her eyes to meet Thrawn’s own, desperation gave rise to something of a plan. In truth, it had more in common with a last resort than it had with actual strategy but it was also the only chance she knew of ensuring the  _Purgatory_  was not boarded or its crew taken prisoner.

"I need to consider the situation," Mary replied softly, feigning the mask of a commander without any alternatives. As a performance, it was not all that far from the truth. She gestured at the communications officer to sever the connection between the two ships, "please standby."

* * *

"Power our main engines," Thrawn responded as soon as Mary Travis’s face faded from the viewer on his bridge "Ensure we are ready to move at a moment’s notice." The Admiral ordered as he returned to his command chair and sat down in it, his body language telling everyone present he was anticipating trouble.

"Admiral?" Pallaeon asked, understanding the urgency in Thrawn’s behavior but not why.

"She’s not ready to give up." Thrawn said without hesitation. "There’s still a little more fight left in her. She won’t surrender, not until we increase the stakes a little more."

* * *

"Divert all power to our front shields!" Mary barked as soon as Thrawn’s face disappeared from the screen.

"What are you planning?" Chano asked anxiously as the bridge crew moved to carry out their commander’s latest order.

"Our last chance." Mary responded without looking at him. "Helm, take her to ramming speed!"

The bridge seemed to fall deathly silent with that one order as all eyes shifted towards Mary, hoping perhaps they had heard her wrong, that she was not actually making that demand of them. Mary noted their frightened expressions and she was prepared for it. She had no wish to lead them to death or dying herself but the fact of the matter was, they could not be taken alive and if there was even the slightest chance some of them may escape, Mary was prepared to take it.

"You heard me!" She repeated herself. "Ramming speed! Full ahead!"

The helm officer nodded and immediately acted to comply with that order. The view displayed on the screen before the bridge of the  _Purgatory_  shifted from the image of the ships converging upon it to that of the  _Chimaera_  which lay dead ahead. The  _Chimaera_  remained in position, refusing to move as the  _Purgatory_  sailed forward, sending the stars around it in streaking past the hull in advance. Mary’s gaze remained fixed on the ship, aware this act of desperation could very well end up in her killing everyone on board the vessel, not to mention herself. However, she and the  _Purgatory_ ’s crew had nothing to lose even though they might think her actions foolhardy. If Imperial forces boarded them, none of them would survive. They would be executed for treason but not before each one of them was tortured for every ounce of information they could provide the Empire about the Rebel Alliance network.

As ludicrous as it seemed, this was the better of the two possibilities.

"Commander," Chano whispered softly. "It’s been an honor serving with you."

Mary raised her gaze to him and tried not to let the emotion show in this critical hour. "Like wise, Commander." She answered just as quietly. "I’m sorry I could not have done any better for you."

"You did us proud Sir." Tylene, her Correllian weapons officer declared with just as much pride.

As the seconds hurried by and the  _Chimaera_  loomed closer in the screen, the bridge officers saluted her one after the other, showing their solidarity with her decision to end their service on board the  _Purgatory_  with an act of final defiance against Imperial tyranny. Mary never felt prouder or sadder for them. The ship began to shudder as the velocity increased and despite their affirmation to hold their ground with her, she could see the fear in their eyes as the  _Chimaera_  remained locked in position as if testing her determination to stay on her suicidal course. She wondered if Thrawn could predict she was desperate enough not to care whether or not they made it out alive.

She doubted it.

The  _Purgatory_  continued at is juggernaut pace, now hastily being bombarded from all other ships as they tried to halt the crafts progress to the  _Chimaera_. The Nubian warship sustained a tremendous beating that could be felt throughout its superstructure as the ship heaved in protest, bleeding from a thousand wounds as it closed in on the enemy for its final battle. Across the bridge, circuitry overloaded, panels were flaring up with heat, terminals were going critical, forcing crew to abandon their stations as fires broke out across the deck. Mary’s own console exploded, sending sparks and glass towards her, she leapt from her seat to avoid being sprayed with a face full of shrapnel.  Chano hurried to her and helped her off the floor as the antigrav's in the ship started to give way, making their steps lighter. Not that it mattered much since everyone's attention was more or less occupied on the approaching ship that was growing larger and larger on the scanner. Mary stared at the screen as Chano helped to her feet once more, wondering how long the  _Chimaera_  would hold firm and knowing without doubt she was not moving.

Unlike the Imperials, she and the  _Purgatory_  had nothing to lose.

* * *

Thrawn watched the approaching  _Purgatory_  and felt a little curl tug at the corner of his lips. The Nubian showed no signs of slowing down and Thrawn was certain she would not either. Mary Travis was too proud and too desperate at this time to back down. The beauty of her unpredictability is that it was also damned predictable in its own way. One just had to know the woman to be able to outmaneuver her. Thrawn made it a habit to study his opponents as closely as possible before he engaged them and Mary Travis had been one of the lengthiest undergoing his scrutiny. Had she known what she was facing, there was every possibility she would have avoided the trap he had used to ensnare her.  Her course was something he might have gambled upon himself if he was facing anyone else in the Imperial fleet but a Grand Admiral who was a quick study.

"Move the ship," Thrawn ordered sharply.

"Move?" The helm officer looked over his shoulder, unable to believe that Thrawn had given an order to withdraw.

"You heard the Admiral!" Pallaeon snapped aware that time was of the essence and the lieutenant of the con was wasting it by asking unnecessary question. "MOVE THE SHIP!"

The delay came to late as the officer struggled to comply with the order, unable to regain the lost time when there was almost a million tonnes of warship coming towards them. Thrawn cursed under his breath, making a note to ensure if they survived this the lieutenant's most important task would be ensuring his heating coils were still effective when he was assigned to an ice world like Hoth. His fingers dug into the arms rest as the ship started to bank hard but the lapse would cost them.

* * *

"ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Chano shouted into the still functioning com system when he saw the  _Chimaera's_  bulk take up the entire view screen.

His warning came less than a split second before the ship slammed into the side of the  _Chimaera_  whom at the last minute had banked hard in an effort to avoid the collision. The sound sheared through their eyes as the impact shuddered violently through the ship. Everything not bolted down on the bridge when flying as the  _Purgatory_  screeched past the  _Chimaera_. Emergency klaxons began screaming all across the ship as the  _Purgatory_  took the brunt of the collision since it was smaller in size to the massive star destroyer and less armored. Consoles that had been short-circuiting and erupting sporadically had now started exploding with greater force.

Mary was thrown to her feet as the sound of explosions burst around her like blasts of artillery. For a moment, she could do nothing but keep her head down as the violence shook the bridge around her and she heard screaming. Fires ignited from damaged control panels, were kept fed with flammable cabling and any other material that provided sustenance. The unnerving noise of metal tearing and the steel framework of the ship ripping itself asunder sent waves of fear into Mary as she envisioned what the collision had done to her ship. The forward momentum of the  _Purgatory_  was still carrying it forward, despite the chaos overtaking the bridge. She did not know how long she remained on the floor, somewhat disorientated by the flashes of light penetrated the complete darkness but when it became so silent it was almost deathly, Mary raised her head and pushed herself to her feet.

The first thing she noticed was that the  _Purgatory_  was leaning on a slant. Attitude control was gone and the ship though moving forward, was startign to spiral. Mary stumbled slightly as she tried to regain her balance and her eyes widened when she saw the state of the bridge. Metal beams had come down on some of the stations, fires  were burning out of shattered console screens and live wires hung limply from torn fissures in the walls and ceiling. The viewer before her command chair had completely shattered, covering the immediate area in a spray of glass. Mary saw some of the bridge crew starting to stir and her eyes searched the immediate area for the first undamaged console.

"All hands," Mary activated the com system and hoped it still functioned. "This is Commander Travis, Abandon ship!" She ordered, wiping a smear of blood from her forehead. "Repeat. Abandon ship!"

It was not idle threat, from the undamaged console, she was able to get a fairly decent reading of the ship's current state and it was dire indeed. The damage to the ship's core was substantial. Very soon it would reach critical mass, destroying the  _Purgatory_  and everyone on it. That is if the four destroyers did not catch up with them and blow them out of the sky first. At this moment, it could go either way. She heard movement and saw Lieutenant Tylene pulling himself out from under a support beam, his arm hanging loosely at his side and was clearly dislocated.

"Get to the escape pods!" She ordered him and scanned the wreckage for any other survivors. Some were like Tylene, emerging from under the destruction, some what disorientated by the chaos. They used her words to focus themselves and the order to depart the ship was one that sank it most clearly. Mary scanned the bridge to search for more survivors when suddenly, she saw a figure huddled near her command chair. Mary stumbled forward, feeling a sharp pain in her hip as she moved and let out a small cry as she unwittingly placed weight on it. She made her next step a little more carefully but it did not lessen the pain any more, just allowed her to get forward a little more. Dropping to her knees once she reached the injured crewman, Mary felt her heart stop when she realized that it was Chano.

"Chano!" Mary gasped as she saw his head and chest bleeding profusely. The head injury did not seem severe but the wound to his chest, just beneath the ribcage was another thing entirely. If he were not given medical treatment soon, he would die. Mary was not about to let that happen. Slipping his arm over her shoulders, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain that would come when she attempted to haul him to his feet. The pain was beyond belief and set her hip on fire as she pulled him upright. Mary could not keep herself from uttering a sob of pain as she stared dragging him towards the exit. She knew she would be forgiven if she left him and continued on her own but she refused to let him die here. After failing the  _Purgatory_  so dismally, she was not going to waste any more lives under her command than necessary.

The bridge had access to life pods of their own and as Mary made the laborious task of bringing Chano and herself to safety, she could hear the  _Purgatory_ 's death knell in the increasing frequency of explosions that were exploding throughout the ship. It was almost a cascading effect, moving deck by deck until it reached crescendo at the engine core and tore the entire ship apart. Mary cast a final gaze at the bridge as she drew further and further away, trying not to feel the sorrow of its loss. The  _Purgatory_  had been her first real command, the reward she received by joining the rebellion and forsaking command of a star destroyer. She had loved the little Nubian and was proud of all they managed to do together. Their relationship had almost been symbiotic except now she was leaving it to its death. She felt as if she had cheated somehow.

This is not the time, Mary told herself as he found an escape pod and placed Chano into it. The pod took two and Mary took a deep breath, casting one final look at the hallway of her ship, even though the bridge was no longer in sight. The pod could take more but the others had gone ahead and Mary could not trust the ship, to remain any longer than necessary on board. When the core went critical, they had to be a good distance away or they would be vaporized by the blast. She did not mind her own life in jeopardy but Chano's was another thing entirely.

Fastening Chano securely into one of the seats within the life pod, Mary did the same for herself and activated the panel next to her that would breathe life to the transport. The lights underneath her finger tips came alive once she keyed in the correct sequence and with a sudden lurch, the pod plunged downwards, making Mary's stomach follow its direction for a few seconds. She raised her eyes to the portal above the ceiling and saw the metal surface contract into the shape of the  _Purgatory_  as the pod left it behind. Mary did not know how long she continued to stare until she saw her beloved ship tear itself apart in a brilliant explosion that lit up the sky with amber balls of fire and smoke.

She watched the ignited pieces of metal streak across the sky, not realizing corresponding streaks were moving down her cheeks as tears.

* * *

With the lowering of the deflector shield, the priorities of the rebels fighting the ground assault shifted radically. While a few remained to impede the progress of the juggernaut rebel forces encroaching their defensive perimeter, most of the ground pounders had returned to the rebel base in order to aid with the evacuation. Some parts of the damaged structure were not accessible and though they were certain there were lives still trapped in small pockets throughout the facility, no help could be provided to them. The efforts were now focussed on retrieving as many from the destroyed bastion of rebel activity as possible and with the depletion of forces on the line; the Imperial advance grew even more rapid.

Chris Larabee and the rest of Colonel Kellis’ squadron had been busy attacking the  _Shadowstar_  after it had begun its assault the rebel base. The contingent of X-wings sent to do battle with the star destroyer soon found itself outmatched and it was a note to preservation and determination that they managed to disrupt some of the bombardment though not enough to be effective once the shield generator was lowered. During the course of the fighting, only Chris’s superior reflexes kept him from joining the growing number of casualties, including Kellis, who was shot down in a fiery blaze. He felt the terrified emotions of all those who died, seconds before the end and after awhile he had to consciously disconnect himself from sensing them. However, as the  _Shadowstar_  began to move off and join the other ships, with the X-wings following close behind to aid their comrades who were embroiled in the engagement with the _Purgatory_ , Chris noticed something disturbing.

The closer they neared to the  _Chimaera_ ; his senses found itself pressed against a barrier it could not penetrate. A circle of darkness surrounded the lead ship and its radiating power also extended itself to the ships that flew close to its sphere and even the  _Purgatory_  itself as the Nubian surged toward it. Within that perimeter, Chris could sense nothing; not a mind thinking its thoughts, not an emotion depicting the fear and aggression this situation must surely engender. All that he could feel was this large vacuum of nothingness. As he and the rest of the X-wings watched in horror as the  _Purgatory_  found itself surrounded on all fronts by the large attack force, Chris was helpless to discern whether or not Mary was still alive because of that nullifying effect.

It was the same feeling he had experienced when Buck had returned from the Maw with the yslamiri.

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. It was Thrawn commanding this battle.

Mary was facing a Grand Admiral. Although Chris had never served in the military, he knew that the rank was given to officers with exceptional command abilities. The surgical effectiveness of the strike against the rebel forces was proof enough of Thrawn’s capabilities since this was shaping up to be one of the rebellion’s worst defeats in its short history. Thrawn had engineered the retrieval of the yslamiri in order to use it on the Jedi. The small furry creatures were an oddity of nature, somehow existing outside the Force and in doing so were able to create a bubble around itself, which no Jedi could penetrate and was thus rendered helpless. It did not surprise Chris in the slightest at having anticipated the presence of Jedi on Siraj, Thrawn had taken appropriate measures to protect himself against their threat. Not that it mattered now. Chris could sense nothing from the  _Chimaera_  and the surrounding ships.

Which meant he could not sense Mary either.


	10. Life Pod

From the cockpit of the  _Wingsong_ , Ezra Standish watched in horror as the  _Purgatory_  languished within the kill zone formed by Thrawn's attack fleet. The Nubian warship was being besieged on all sides by streaks of powerful energy, impacting against its hull. Life pods had started to eject from the main body of the vessel and these tiny capsules of life surged away from their doomed mothership into the dangerous field of battle with no ability to defend themselves. Ezra continued to study the readings from the beleaguered craft, watching its destruction shift from a possibility to inevitability. Unfortunately, the X-wings offering aerial support did not know that the battle was doomed. Their fierce protection was likely to get them killed if they continued to remain close to the Nubian warship when she exploded. A warship of that size would have a sufficient blast radius to take any small ship in proximity to a fiery death.

Why had not the order for withdrawal been given to those ships?

"They must pull away." Ezra responded as the  _Wingsong  _attempted to skim the edges of the battle to join the departing exodus of rebel ships that would be journeying to the rendezvous point. "The _Purgatory_ is about to reach critical. The order to retreat must be given now."

"Mary must not be on board." Inez replied next to him. She knew Mary Travis long enough to know the commander of the rebel base would never allow her pilots to be endangered necessarily. However, she had seen the evacuation of the  _Purgatory_  and supposed that it was possible Mary was in no position to give the order for withdrawal. "I think she is in one of those life pods."

Ezra knew he had no authority to act but someone had to do something before these pilots were killed either by the shockwave when the  _Purgatory_  was destroyed or  trapped in a kill zone with four Imperial destroyers. The order for withdrawal had to come now. The hope of defeating the enemy was dwindling, if there was every any at all. The most sensible thing for the rebels to do was to leave while they could. There was no shame leaving a battle they could not win and foolishness in staying to fight when death was inevitable. He thought quickly of what was to be done and hoped he did not overstep his bounds by acting but the order had to be given or people would die needlessly.

"Inez, can you patch me into the X-wing communications channel?" Ezra asked.

Inez and Claire stared at him in surprise before Inez hurried to comply with his request. They had attempted to warn the  _Purgatory_  earlier but the ship had been too busy fighting of the  _Chimaera_  and its companions to respond. Meanwhile Claire was following an earlier instruction by Ezra to monitor the ships leaving the system in order for them to join the departing convoy. The situation overall, did not appear good. The bombardment of the rebel base by the  _Shadowstar_  had almost destroyed the landing bay and most of the ships that managed to escape were now under heavy fire from the TIE fighters left to secure the planet.

"I've got a line patched through!" Inez announced and gestured Ezra to begin speaking.

Ezra nodded anxiously, meeting her gaze and drawings strength from her encouraging smile before he spoke into the com unit. "Attention all rebels ships, break off from the  _Purgatory_. She is about to reach critical mass. Repeat, attention all rebels ships, break off now. You are in a kill zone."

There were burst of responding static as the fighters in the air tried to discern who it was that made the announcement. It was not Commander Travis and yet the advice given was sound and they could not disregard it. However, they did not know him and were unable to decide whether the order was legitimate or an enemy trick. Finally, a familiar voice filled the cockpit of the  _Wingsong_  to make that determination for himself.

"Ezra, is that you?" Buck Wilmington's voice demanded.

"Naturally," Ezra responded in his cool, deliberate tones belying the urgency of the moment. "Do you think you can convince your compatriots that I am not some Imperial spy and carry out my request? If you remain where you are you will be destroyed, if not by the  _Purgatory's_  blast radius or by those Imperial guns. You need to withdraw and offer aerial support to what few ships have managed to escape the destruction of your base. Also, a number of life pods have ejected from the  _Purgatory_ , it would be a good idea if we intercepted them before Imperial TIE fighters lock on a tractor beam and take them captive. Mary Travis may be on one of these."

"Right," Buck agreed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"It appears my tenure as military commander of the Cordoba base is over," Ezra released a long sigh. "Grand Admiral Thrawn has given me little option to do anything else. I think that was his intention all along."

"Thrawn?" Buck exclaimed. "It's Thrawn that's leading this attack?"

"Yes," Ezra exchanged glances with Inez and Claire. "Did you not know?"

"No," the pilot responded. "If we had..."

"It would most likely change nothing," Ezra cut him off abruptly. "Buck, issue the order to the rest of your fleet. Get yourself and the others out of the line of fire while you still can. We cannot win this one but we will lessen their victory if we deny them prisoners. At the moment, your immediate priority is to ensure as many of your people leave the system as possible. The base on Siraj 3 has been heavily bombarded so the transport departure is slow, especially with TIE fighters picking them off one by one. You and your companions would be best served aiding those ships to leave."

There was a slight pause and Ezra imagined he could see the smirk on Buck's face at his attempt to offer guidance. Almost on cue, Buck's response indicated Ezra was right to think that.

"You giving orders now Ezra?" Buck asked and Ezra knew he was wearing a smile inside the cockpit of his ship.

"No just friendly advice," Ezra frowned, wondering how he had found himself in this position. This was Mary's task to do not his and he felt uncomfortable issuing orders in her stead but the situation warranted it by its urgency.

There was another pause before Buck answered. "Thanks Ezra," The big man responded seriously. "We needed it."

"Buck," Inez broke in to the conversation, seeing both men were becoming uncomfortable by the emotional content of it. "Take care."

"Inez?" Buck exclaimed. "You here too?"

"I'm afraid I led them straight to me when I tried to send the base a warning," she confessed. Inwardly, Inez was glad to hear Buck was still among the living. When the  _Windsong_  arrived in the scene of the battle, she had thought the worst. There were so many casualties already and she feared he might be one of them. Even though her heart lay with Ezra now, Inez still cared deeply for Buck and supposed she always would. She did not wish to see him harmed.

"Thank you for keeping her safe Ezra," Buck said gratefully.

"It was my pleasure," Ezra offered Inez a smile and then returned his attention to the situation at hand. "Buck, we can talk later. Right now, you need to get your ships out of the way before it was too late."

"Yeah right," Buck agreed with that statement and then added, "Ezra, I'm sending you the rendezvous coordinates through a coded frequency. You've given us good lead to act, now its time for you to get out of here. I'll pass on these orders to the rest of the fleet. You need to be there at the rendezvous point when they get there. Until we find Mary, we're going to need all the help we can get."

Ezra stiffened, having no wish to assume any sort of leadership role in place of Mary Travis but Buck was right; they needed him.

"I will endeavor to do what I can." Ezra answered. "In the meantime, you take care my friend."

"Yeah the same to you," Buck grinned. "And you keep our girl safe."

Ezra smiled and nodded with his eyes fixed on Inez; "I had never intended anything else."

* * *

Chris continued towards the  _Purgatory_  even though the order had come through the com system a moment ago for all ships to withdraw. He could not do so until he knew whether or not Mary was alive or dead. It terrified him beyond belief the link between them was severed as a side effect of the yslamiri Grand Admiral Thrawn must have on his ship. Not only were his powers depleted because of the creatures but in this maelstrom of chaos presently before him, he was also required to find Mary without it. With so many ships in the air and the destruction of the  _Purgatory_  reaching apogee, Chris knew his chances of finding her were remote unless he resorted to conventional means and with so much confusion taking place around him, that would be difficult to do.

Even as he continued towards the  _Purgatory_ , X wings were whizzing past him, putting as much distance between themselves and the doomed Nubian warship. TIE fighters were also starting to withdraw in the face of the relentless bombardment of energy from the surrounding destroyers. Enormous bolts of power from the main guns of the destroyers assaulted the  _Purgatory_  without mercy until Chris could see the hull becoming so hot from the burst of energy that tendrils of blue were spreading across the surface like spidery webs. From his approach, he could see armored plates buckling and then breaking free of its superstructure. The space around it was already littered with debris and now new flotsam was added to the mix with steel plating breaking free of the hull and hurtling into the darkness.

"Oh no!" Someone gasped over his com set and Chris could not tell who it was except to know that something terrible was about to happen.

It did.

As he moved his gaze upwards, Chris saw the body of the  _Purgatory_  beginning to crumble under the relentless assault. The destruction reached climax with a shattering explosion that, though could not be heard, was felt by every sensor and instrument on board the small fighter. The sky turned brilliant as the much beloved ship of the rebel fleet breathed her last, sending columns of fire and smoke in all directions in her final swan song. Chris felt his heart break and was certain the emotion was shared by every rebel who bore witness to its destruction.Debris flew in all directions as the craft was consumed by a ball of fire with glittering embers taking their place among the canvas of stars for a brief moment. The tremendous conflagration lasted only a minute before the cold vacuum of space suffocated the  _Purgatory's_  last gasp of breath within the airless void.

There was silence over the air waves following the  _Purgatory's_  destruction and it demoralizing effects rippled throughout the remaining rebel forces as surely as it had seeped into Chris's own psyche. For so many, fighting the rebel cause had been something good and noble but until today, no one had ever suspected the cost could be so great or the sacrifices as much as it had been. Chris's thoughts were mostly focussed on whether or not Mary was on board that ship. Without his Jedi senses, there was no way for him to know and not knowing was driving him to distraction. The possibility she could be dead was so awful he could not even begin to imagine coping with it if it turned out to be true.

Suddenly, a shrill burst of static made him flinch and he almost tore the headset from his ears to escape the irritating sound when through the crackling, he heard a voice speaking.

"This is Commander Travis!" Mary Travis spoke frantically, unaware it was he listening, only aware she was in danger and in need of help. Chris quickly searched the source of the transmission even as she was trying to reach him and realized she was transmitting from the last pod that escaped the  _Purgatory_ before its destruction. This made sense since Mary would have been the last to leave her ship. She would have ensured everyone else had gone before leaving herself. 

"Mary!" Chris responded, wasting no time in allowing her to know she had been heard.

"Oh Chris!" Mary exclaimed, undoubtedly relieved to hear his voice. "We need immediate pick up! Chano is badly hurt! He needs a med tech!"

"I'm homing in on your signal." Chris replied.

"Chris, the transmitter was damaged when we left the ship," Mary explained, her voice taut with anxiety. "I think this message may have come across on an open frequency."

Chris felt his stomach hollow at the thought as he studied the readings on his console which confirmed her suspicions. "Mary, cut transmission." Chris ordered sharply, aware if he could hear her so could the Empire. "I've pin pointed your location and I'm coming to get you. Maintain radio silence until then."

There was no response to his order but that told Chris she was complying by remaining silent. Chris hoped he could reach her before the Imperials were aware she was in a life pod with no way to escape if they decided to retrieve her.

* * *

"Sir, we have her!" Pallaeon announced over the bridge of the Chimaera.

Thrawn sat up in his seat and aimed his crimson colored gaze at his adjutant. "Where is she?"

"As you suspected, she was in one of the last pods to depart the ship," Pallaeon explained even though he was certain it was a redundant gesture but nevertheless Thrawn liked the protocol that went with it. "We targeted emitted a low level energy charge which damaged their scrambler transmitter coils forcing them to use conventional bandwidths. We detected Commander Travis sending a distress call to an X-wing on approach to the Purgatory at the time of its destruction. The X wing will be in interception range in 30 seconds."

"I want that ship." Thrawn said sharply. "Allow the X-wing to pick up the life pod. I do not wish to risk damaging the Emperor's prize before we get our hands on her. Have four of our TIE fighters intercept the fighter once it has retrieved the pod. Express to our pilots that they are to drive the ship towards Siraj. The object is not its destruction but the damage of the ship's starboard engine. Without it, the rebel ship will not be able to make the jump into hyperspace. It will be forced to land o the surface to affect repairs or find some alternate means of leaving the system at which point we can move in at our leisure."

* * *

It did not take long for Chris's X-wing to close in on Mary's life pod. The rebel fleet was following the trajectory of the departing transporters and the TIE fighters were in pursuit trying to prevent it from happening. The four destroyers were also moving into flanking positions before taking up the chase to finish off the remaining rebel forces now the  _Purgatory_  was destroyed. Chris knew he would have to retrieve the life pod and slip past those four ships, not an easy task when an Imperial victory would be all the more glorious if they were to capture Mary Travis as well.

Upon reaching the life pod, Chris activated the tractor beam in order to capture the craft and lead it safelty to the planet. There was a narrow margin of time in which to accomplish this since the rebel ships were leaving the system in large numbers and his X-wing was incapable of carrying any more than one passenger. Even if he did strand one of the life pod's passengers on the planet, there was no guaranteeChano could survive the trip to the rendezvous point if he was badly injured. Mary's voice had been frantic when she communicated with him and Chris could imagine Chano was in a bad way for Mary to be so concerned.

Upon connecting with the life pod, the X-wing shuddered a little as the tractor beam secured its hold on the smaller craft. Chris wanted badly to inquire after Mary, to see if she was alright before he took them away from this battlefield but the danger in breaking radio silence was great and he dared not endanger her further. The sooner he pulled away from the  _Chimaera_ , the more distance he would put between himself and the yslamiri, which nullified his powers. Chris hated how disorientating it felt to be without the Force flowing through him but he could not afford to allow himself to become to disabled because Mary needed for him to be in control of his faculties. Once he was certain the life pod was secure, Chris powered up his engines and a burst of acceleration sent him surging towards the planet once more.

However, no sooner than he secured the life pod and put some distance between the ship and the place where he had made the retrieval, he noticed the presence of four TIE fighters moving towards him on attack vector. There was no doubt of their intentions as they opened fire with blasts of energy detonated around his ship. Chris poured more speed into his engines, increasing his acceleration until he was able to put a margin of safety between the X wing and the enemies. Hardly an easy feat when he was still locked onto the small life pod and the acceleration could endanger both ships when they entered the atmosphere of Siraj. Unfortunately, he had little choice in the matter because it appeared as if the enemy ships were not about to let them escape for any reason.

In an effort to shake off his pursuers, Chris performed a series of evasive maneuvers. However his maneuverability was limited with the life pod still held in a tractor beam and the controls felt heavy and unresponsive in his hands. Swerving and banking hard to the point when Chris feared that the life pod might detach itself from the grip of the tractor beam, he narrowly avoided the energy discharge from the four TIE fighters that were determined to keep them from making the jump to light speed. It was a futile gesture anyway; Chris could not possibly accomplish such a thing without landing on Siraj first. The life pod was not equipped to travel in hyperspace over long distances. The more distance they put between themselves and the Chimaera, the more he felt the return of his powers. However, the infusion of the Force came too late as the planet Siraj started to loom larger in the distance and Chris's ability to evade the enemy came to an abrupt end.

The blast was loud enough to jolt him forward in the seat. If he had not been fastened within his seat with a safety harness his helmet would have slammed into the cockpit controls doing untold damage. Before him, the sensors started flashing crimson colors of warning. One half of the craft dipped dangerously to one side and without even confirming it on the console before him, Chris knew one of his engines were gone. Fuel and life support energy was bleeding out of the wounded X-wing as she plunged into the atmosphere of Siraj. Tractor beam control was being maintained at the barest minimum and as the X-wing broke the surface of the planet, Chris noted his attackers breaking off their pursuit, refusing to follow them any further.

Not that it mattered much anyway. The X-wing descended through the skies of Siraj like a projectile and Chris struggled to control his landing. The safety of the life pod became a burden the small fighter was struggling to maintain. With the return of his Jedi abilities, he could sense the terror inside Mary's mind as she was forced to remain inside the pod, helpless and completely dependent on him to see her safely through the landing. He wanted to reassure her everything would be all right but he could not take his mind off what he was doing to offer her that comfort.

With massive systems failure throughout the ship, the X-wing and the life pod burst into flames as he penetrated the planetary ozone layer. Once past it, the flames died down and Chris was able to gauge where their landing site would be. They were hundreds if not thousands of miles away from the rebel base, possibly on the other side of the planet itself. With a damaged ship, that was a long way to be from the others. Unfortunately as the ground rushed up to greet them, Chris realised they did not have much choice. The X-wing was barely managing to remain in the air. A hundred feet from the ground, the tractor beam power finally cut out, releasing the life pod. The cylindrical shape disappeared into the trees, creating a large groove through the woods as it came to a gradual stop, crushing trees, bushes and anything else in it its path as made its rough landing.

The X-wing's descent was not as smooth. Once it relinquish its hold of the life pod, the craft began to spiral downward and Chris knew when the ground swallowed up the ship, he could not be on board. Making sure he was secured to his seat, he removed the canopy overhead and heard the wind sweep it away in a loud swoosh. Overhead, he could see the sky spinning above his eyes as he activated the ejection system. The tremendous hydraulic forces beneath the pilot's seat released with a loud bang and suddenly, Chris was propelled in the air.

For a few seconds he was ascending through the sky and then the safety chute billowed free from the back of his seat and he was coming down at a more sensible speed. Looking over the terrain as he descended, Chris could see the destruction created by the unceremonious landing of the life pod. It left a clear trail for him to follow and he could feel Mary inside his mind. She was frightened and worried but she was alive. Chris let out a sigh of relief before he was alerted to the sound of an explosion in the distance. Snapping his head towards the direction it had come, Chris saw the billowing clouds of black smoke resulting from the X-wing crashing.  He felt a pang of remorse for the ship. It had served him nobly these past few months before realizing he ought to be grateful to be alive. 

Although for how long,  was another matter entirely because Thrawn was coming for them. 

* * *

After discarding the safety chute, Chris followed the trail made by the life pod as it made its rough landing.

They were almost a continent and ocean away from the rebel base and as Chris moved through the thick jungle, he could hear the gentle lapping of the surf in the distance. When they had been making their rough descent, he sighted the powerful aquamarine colors of the sea, though at the time he had taken little notice. Siraj 3 was a pleasant enough world but other than its natural fauna there was no other sentient life on the planet. Its remote location and lack of occupation was part of the reason it had been selected as a base. As he followed the path of crushed leaves and trees snapped in half, he realised he was sad to leave this world. It did not take him long to reach the life pod but when he did, he noted that it was still sealed. Its outer hull was dented and charred with gases exuding from the damaged engines. Chris hoped the damage was not as bad as it looked. The life pod was capable of limited flight and they needed it to reach the base if they were ever to leave Siraj.

Upon sighting it, Chris broke into a run and was at the craft in a matter of minutes. He could feel Mary's fear and her life force within the damaged shell but worried at her reason for not emerging from the vessel. Was she hurt and unable to do so?

"Mary!" Chris called out as he reached the hatchway.

"Chris!" Mary responded almost immediately. "The hatch is jammed."

Chris stepped back and examined the hatchway and could well understand why that was. The hatch controls had been damaged in the crash landing and was fused in certain section. Chris took a deep breath and concentrated hard, focussing his mind on the task ahead and confident tat he could accomplish it now the Force was with him again. The hatch started to shudder with low tremors as Chris strengthened his hold and then with a loud rip of metal, tore free of the hull and landed in the grass some distance away.

Mary wasted no time in emerging and when she did, her first act was to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight in an embrace of relief and happiness he was the one who had come to save her. Chris held her tightly in his grip, taking deep breaths of her hair and enjoying the sensation of her body against his and her heart pounding against him. Once again, he was revisited by the electrifying experience of kissing her earlier and lowered his mouth to capture her lips in a kiss of passion. Mary did not resist and for a few seconds, time and space seemed to dissolve into this wonderful moment of being together. This time it was he who took the initiative and he explored her as the glorious things she was. When they parted, she was breathless and he never thought she looked more beautiful.

"Thank you for finding me," she whispered softly while they still clung to each other.

"I promised you I was going to be with you," Chris smiled. "I never break my promises."

"I made such a terrible mistake," she blinked, trying to hide her tears. He was the one person with whom she could show how much the defeat at Thrawn's hands really effected her. When she was with him, there was no need to be Commander Travis, just Mary. Chris always knew what Mary felt and needed. "I let everyone down. I couldn't stop him."

"You had no idea who you were up against," Chris said raising her chin so she would meet his eyes and understand she was not to blame. "You did the best you could and there is no one under your command who would believe any differently."

"He knew exactly how to catch me Chris," Mary answered bitterly as he brushed away her tears with his finger. "He knew everything I would do in a battle and he used it against me. I've never been up against an opponent who could do that."

"He did exactly what you do Mary," Chris pointed out. "Now you know when dealing with him, you just need to be especially careful."

"Yes," she nodded, having learnt that much from this entire affair. "And in being careful, I can tell you with have to get moving right now. Somehow we have to reach the others because it's not the rebel base he was after Chris."

"What do you mean?" Chris looked at her and knew the answer before she could say it.

"It's me Chris," she raised her eyes to his and said softly. "Thrawn wants me."


	11. Commander Standish

The battle was over with the rebels departing the system in droves.

Their numbers were severely depleted and the space around the planet where their base was situated, littered with corpses of comrades who had fought and died in the devastating Imperial assault. Less than half the transports managed to escape the base before the aerial bombardment from the  _Shadowstar_ leveled the landing bay, trapping many ships and killing more pilots. Those who could be saved from the wreckage were loaded onto the ships that escaped, their broken bodies found after shifting through the mangled mess of metal and rock. Others were removed from the collapsed sections of the base but too many were left because they were unreachable .

Vin Tanner had deep reservations about leaving the system at least until after he knew for certain Chris Larabee was one of the survivors but had little choice in the matter when his craft was filled with wounded who needed to reach a medical ship once they were safely away. His senses told him Chris was not in danger, at least none his abilities could detect. The news the  _Purgatory_  was destroyed reached Vin as he departed Siraj, preparing to make the jump into hyperspace. He had been ferrying a number of rebel personnel who were unable to find any other transport when the base was attacked following the failure of the shield generator. A swell of shock moved through the  _Tracker_  and he felt it inside his own heart as surely as he sensed it from those around him.

For so long, the  _Purgatory_  had been allied with all their victories against the Empire. Mary Travis's ship was almost as loved as she was and with her fate still unknown, the idea they might lose her as well as the Nubian warship, was something that frightened everyone on board, including Vin. It was at that instant Vin knew wherever Mary was, Chris would not be far behind. If the Jedi was not here then he was out there somewhere searching for the woman he loved. Vin could appreciate his desire to find her, especially after Vin's own actions with Charlotte Richmond and hoped Chris would succeed where he failed. 

For right now however, Vin had to think of the people on the  _Tracker_. They were wounded and needed to escape the war zone.

Despite wishing otherwise, Vin knew Chris would want him to deliver the rebels to safety before Vin made any attempt to seek him out. Sometimes sacrifices needed to be made for the cause, Chris had often said, even if the sacrifice was one of their own. Vin could not even begin to imagine how many were left behind for the lack of transport or the equipment to reach those buried in the rubble following the destruction of the base. He remembered what it was like when he helped Josiah and Casey remove the injured from the destroyed operations center, loading them into the  _Rogue_  because it was one of the few ships left unscathed during the bombardment.

Louisa Perkins had been one of these and though she lived, she was gravely injured. Vin took some comfort in the fact Alexandra Styles was far away from here when the Empire had rained destruction upon them. Josiah was relieved that Casey was unhurt but Vin could see he felt ashamed for his selfishness when so many others had lost their lives already. Although the young woman did not ask, Casey's thoughts had been filled with JD. Fortunately, Vin was able to give her some good news when they met at the rendezvous point having met up with the young pilot when he had departed Siraj. With the  _Tracker_  becoming a hospital ship, JD had provided them with escort as they left the system.  They still had no word if Buck had survived the destruction of the Purgatory.

The rendezvous point was in a remote part of the Elrood Sector, a corner of space devoid of habitable planets or systems. It was a void filled with gaseous anomalies and relatively uninteresting stars. Far away from the main space lanes, there was not a trace of civilisation to be found within 10 parsecs of the sector, which assured complete privacy for anyone selecting the venue as a meeting place. The rebel defeat was painfully evident when the  _Tracker_ 's emerged from hyperspace.

Only a number of large cruisers managed to escape Siraj and no more than two dozen transports had actually left the base to join the exodus. The X-wings were starting to make their appearances, with many of them damaged and limping towards the transport ships, all carrying the scars of the battle from which they were forced to flee.

"By the Force," Nathan whispered as he saw the flotilla of ships, different in their models and origin but all carrying the same mark of violence as if it were branded across their  hulls. Nathan tried not to be shaken by what he was seeing but it was not possible to when confronted by just how many of their number had been lost.

"I wonder what the casualty rate is," Vin asked softly, just as mesmerized as he flew towards the medical cruiser,  _Angel of Mercy_. After a moment of silence, he decided he did not need to know. He glanced at Nathan briefly as he brought the  _Tracker_  towards the cruiser which was now one of the few that remained following the battle they had just left behind. If there were any command officers left after the fighting, they would be gather on board the ship to make a full account of their situation. Unfortunately, Vin did not think that any amount of consolidation would help if they lost Mary with the  _Purgatory_. Even now, Vin could sense the futility in Nathan. The captain was one of the most dedicated members of the Rebel Alliance but right now, the man's spirit felt broken. 

"I can't do this Vin." He turned and stared at the apprentice. "I can't lead them."

"Of course you can," Vin retorted automatically. "Come on Nathan, you always hold things together. We need you, especially now."

"I hold things together but I can't make it work without Mary," Nathan confessed. "I'm not cut out for that. I don't have what it takes, I never did."

"Nathan," Vin sucked in his breath, wishing he knew what to say to the man and decided to speak from the heart because they simply did not have the time for this. "Maybe you don't have what it takes to be lead but no one is asking you too. You just need to hold it together long enough for us to figure out what we're going to do next." Vin placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "We're all in this together and we'll get through this the same way."

Nathan nodded slowly and offered Vin a little smile. "You're a good friend and you're right, I'll do what I always do, I'll keep this mess in one piece until Mary gets back. I work better as the rudder not the steer."

"Rudders are still important though," Vin pointed out as the landing bay of the  _Angel of Mercy_  grew larger in the cockpit window. "Besides, try and interchange the two and then see some trouble brewing."

"Sure," Nathan retorted. "Try and make me feel better."

* * *

Ezra Standish boarded the  _Angel of Mercy_  a short time after arriving at the rendezvous coordinates provided by Buck Wilmington.

As he left his ship, he felt conspicuous in his Imperial uniform and could not help feeling as if he should have removed it before disembarking. Eyes followed him all of the way from the landing bay as he strode towards the innards of the ship. Upon notifying the bridge who he was, Ezra was somewhat surprised to learn the commander of the vessel, a willowy Jungan female name Gia Dano was rather pleased to see him. He was familiar to most of the rebel fleet who knew of the Imperial commander of Cordoba who was one of them. Despite the fact he wore an Imperial uniform when he arrived on the bridge with Inez and Claire, it was clear to him those present were grateful to see him. One or two of the officers on the bridge had served on the _Purgatory_ , when Ezra had briefly assumed command of the ship in Mary's absence. 

"Commander Standish," Dano spoke in the peculiar Jungan accent that made even standard galactic hard to understand. "I must say that I am glad to see you."

"Why would that be?" Ezra asked genuinely surprised by the reception he was receiving from the woman and the rest of the bridge officers who seemed almost relieved by his arrival.

"I am a doctor in charge of a medical ship," Dano confessed readily not afraid to reveal she was out of her depth. "I do not have much experience in military matters. Usually I am the chief medical officer of the Territory's rebel outpost and while I am able to guide my crew under those parameters, I am not entirely comfortable with being the only ranking officer left in this rag tag fleet."

"Oh my God!" Inez gasped, struck by the enormity of the claim and seeing in the Jungan's eyes that she was not exaggerating. "What do you mean?"

Eyes dropped across the bridge and the sorrow could be seen in all the faces present, before Dano spoke again, her large circular eyes glistening with moisture and sadness. "We have lost the  _Purgatory_  and perhaps Commander Travis. Almost all our squadron commanders were killed in the battle of Siraj and many more were killed during the aerial bombardment of the base. Those who survived are presently being treated by medical droids within the walls of this ship and others like it. Our losses have been devastating."

"The  _Purgatory_  was destroyed?" Claire gasped, trying not to panic because her husband was its executive officer. "Lieutenant Commander Chano? Did he escape?"

"We don't know," Dano answered truthfully and Inez immediately wrapped a comforting arm around the young woman's shoulders as it stated to sag from fears of the worst.

"Claire, it is too soon for leaping to conclusions," Ezra said gently. "There was a great deal of confusion taking place when we passed through the system. The X-wings were collecting as many life pods as they could when we departed Siraj. Chano could already be in the medical center here and we would not know it."

It was not much in the way of assurance but it was the best he could do under the circumstances and there was every chance it was true. Claire needed to believe Chano was still alive and he had no intention of seeing her any more afraid than she already was. Claire risked much in joining his escape from Cordoba and he was not about to let her think it was for nothing. Unfortunately, there was also every chance he had indeed perished along with Mary Travis when the  _Purgatory_  was destroyed. However, Ezra would not voice that possibility just yet. Those under Mary's command needed to believe she was safe and on her way to them.

"What about Captain Jackson?" Ezra asked, needing to know if his best friend had survived this carnage. Once again, Ezra cursed himself for not being able to warn the Rebellion about Thrawn's fleet. Now it felt as if it was too late for anything.

"His ship is preparing to land," Dano answered much to his relief. "He is on board the  _Tracker_ , Vin Tanner's ship."

"What about Chris Larabee, Josiah Sanchez, JD Dunne and Buck Wilmington?" He questioned, hoping no tragedy had befallen his other close friends. The last Ezra had seen of Buck was when the pilot had transmitted the coordinates of the rendezvous point for the  _Wing Song_ to jump into hyperspace. He hoped Buck had the opportunity to do the same. Ezra did not possess many friends in his life thus he cared deeply for the ones he  _did_  have.

"Captain Wilmington and Lieutenant Dunne have just entered the Elrood system," Dano responded, glad to be able to deliver that positive news to the humans before her. "Senator Sanchez is already on board but I have no news on the whereabouts of Chris Larabee. As far we aware, he is counted among the missing."

"I see," Ezra nodded in understanding. "What are your orders about remaining in this area?" 

"Commander Travis told us we should remain in this system for another ten hours and then depart." Dano answered automatically.

"That may be unwise," Ezra said grimly. "Grand Admiral Thrawn has been well prepared for this assault. There is reason to believe he may have had contingency plans in the likely attempt the rebel fleet was force to run. Elrood is close enough the Siraj system to be suspect as a place you might choose as a rendezvous point. Undoubtedly, the Grand Admiral would assume you would select a venue that is as isolated as this and may have scouts ships watching all possible areas matching the same description. "

"We cannot leave," Dano declared anxiously. "The are still many of our forces unaccounted for. If we leave they will be stranded here. Most of these are fighters were unable to refuel when the  _Purgatory_  was destroyed."

"I appreciate that," Ezra countered. "I suggest two or three fuel carriers remain so that the rest of the fleet can leave immediately."

"Ezra!" Nathan Jackson called out as he and Vin appeared at the end of the corridor.

The lean black man wore a wide grin on his face, not merely of happiness at seeing his old friend but something deeper Ezra noticed. Both men met in a warm embrace, glad to see each was safe despite the calamity of Thrawn’s attack upon them. Without even hearing Nathan speak, Ezra knew his friend had suffered a difficult time even if he appeared unscathed physically. Once he had pulled away from Nathan, he offered a more subdued greeting towards Vin Tanner and introduced Claire Moseley to them. While they were familiar with her husband Chano, most did not know Claire other than the fact she was also a spy on the Cordoba base. Once the introductions were made, Captain Dano agreed to show Claire where the survivors of the  _Purgatory_  were emerging from the life pods, with Inez accompanying her for moral support.

"I am sorry I was unable to contact you in time for Thrawn’s attack. He appeared at the Cordoba base with obvious designs in provoking me into making the attempt. He did not say as much but I am certain he was suspicious of my loyalties." Ezra explained.

"Thrawn," Nathan mused. "No wonder we were hit so hard. He’s destroyed the  _Purgatory_  and we still have no idea where Mary is."

"Or Chris for that matter," Vin added. "Look Nathan, I have to go back to Siraj now that the wounded are off my ship."

"What?" Nathan exclaimed, staring at him in horror. "Vin that’s crazy! It’s crawling with Imperial ships!"

Ezra could see Nathan was becoming panicked. He recognized the expression all too well after years of friendship. Nathan was a good command officer but he would always be best utilized taking care of the details commanders often took for granted. As an executive officer, there was none better but Nathan preferred to work in the background. Ezra could tell he was fighting to keep the present crisis from overwhelming him and knew he had to help his friend out of this situation. 

However, to take charge here meant assuming responsibility for people he considered to be his friends and in Nathan’s case, family. It frightened him to take the burden on himself because he did not wish to fail them. After all, if there was one thing he had managed to do quite spectacularly all his life, it was to prove he was incapable of doing anything right for very long. Unfortunately, it did not appear as if he had a choice at this time. With Mary being gone, he could tell Nathan was looking to him to fill the void left by her notable presence and as much as he wanted to turn away from role, he could not for one simple reason - they needed him.

They needed him and he did not have the heart to abandon Nathan to this alone.

"Nathan, it is necessary that Vin go." Ezra spoke after a long pause, coming to the decision if they required him to make the hard decisions for them, he would do so for the time being until  Mary was returned to them. "He alone can find Chris Larabee."

"Which means what?" Nathan demanded. He had no wish to leave Chris to languish in danger but he had to be realistic with so many dead already. How could they be certain that Chris was still alive? "I don’t want you risking yourself when there could be every chance that he’s beyond finding."

"He’s not dead," Vin returned firmly. "If he was, I would know it."

"I’m sorry Vin," Nathan apologized almost immediately, realizing how he sounded. Of course Vin would know if Chris were alive or dead. The connection between Master and Apprentice was strong and they were capable of sensing each other over great distances even if that thread was sometimes vague. "You're right but its pretty risky Vin."

"I know," Vin nodded, able to sense how anxious Nathan was about doing the right thing for everyone concerned. "But I have to go."

"Nathan," Ezra stared at his friend, wishing to remind Nathan that aside from the obvious, there was another reason to encourage Vin's return to Siraj. Like every other member of the seven, Ezra was aware of the close relationship between Chris and Mary. "Vin has to find Chris because only Chris can find Mary if she's still alive."

Just as strongly as Vin believed in Chris's survival, Nathan felt the same about Mary. "She's alive," Nathan said firmly. "I refuse to believe she's anything else."

"Well then we know what has to be done," Ezra met Vin's gaze with a nod that he was good to depart. "However, I do not believe you should be going alone. As invincible as you Jedi may believe yourselves to be, there is still a sizeable contingent of Imperial troops in Siraj who beg to differ with that view. You should take someone with you."

Vin tended to agree even though he wished he did not have to risk anyone else in this endeavor. "I'll ask JD, I heard from flight control he was on an approach vector when we landed in the docking bay. The kid is mean as hell when he's behind a fighter, I think he'll handle himself all right."

Although the rest of the seven tended to see JD as that young kid who stumbled into the Rebellion almost by a freak set of circumstances, Vin remembered JD as the young man who had defied the  _Executor_ above the skies of Ithor. After Vin's ill-fated attempt to save Charlotte Richmond and the battle that almost saw his death at the hands of Darth Vader, JD had managed to elude Vader's super star destroyer as well as saving his life. After that whole affair, Vin possessed a great sense of respect for the young man and had no qualms about having JD accompany him into any dangerous situation.

"JD has earned quite the reputation as a gunner," Ezra nodded in approval. "You will need that advantage."

"What about you?" Vin glanced at Nathan wondering what the rebel fleet would do now.

Nathan met his gaze uncertainly, not sure of what was to be done. He was still in shock as the rest of the rebel fleet who had not anticipated their defeat costing as much as it had. "I'm open to suggestions," he raised his eyes and met Ezra's hoping his old friend would have answers he did not.

The former commander of the Cordoba based sucked in his breath because he had reached a watershed moment.

After what transpired on Cordoba, there was no going back to the life he knew. By being here, he had well and truly rolled the dice on his future and that future lay with the Rebellion, no matter how dangerous that path might be. Now that he had chosen, he had to make the best of it and serve where his talents were most needed.  At this moment, he was needed to lead because after Mary, no one else in the tattered remains of this fleet could. He saw Vin staring at him and the apprentice seemed to understand what was going through his mind and a small smile pulled at the corner of Vin's lips as if telling him without words Vin had every confidence in him. Surprisingly enough, that helped.

When Mary came back, Ezra would be happy to stand aside for her because this was and always would be  _her_  command. She had been the impetus that had brought the seven together and for that Ezra would always be grateful.  They had become his family in a way he never dreamed he would have and with them, came the love of a woman like Inez. Exhaling the last of his reservations, Ezra decided if he was going to play this game, then he was going all in. 

"All right, first of all, we should leave the system." Repeating the advice given to Dano earlier, Ezra felt a new resolve fill him as he spoke.  "Do not assume the Grand Admiral has not considered the possible locations you may choose as a rendezvous point. If there is one thing Thrawn has shown every one of us today, it is his ability to out think us. Elrood is close enough to Siraj to be considered a possible rallying point for the Rebellion. Logic dictateds he would keep it under surveillance. If the Empire is not here yet, it soon will be. We do not have much time."

"But we have people still coming here…" Nathan started to say.

"Leave two or three fuel carriers here to ensure any stragglers will be able to join us at the new rendezvous point." Ezra offered, finding the answers coming easily from a place inside himself he barely acknowledged during his time as military commander of Cordoba. "The rest of the fleet should be prepared to jump into hyperspace within the hour."

"That makes sense," Nathan answered, feeling better because this was something he could coordinate.  All he needed was the direction to focus his skills. "Where would we go?"

"We should stay clear of the Territory for awhile." Vin suggested. "They'll be combing every part of it now."

"I agree," Ezra nodded. "I say we head somewhere they would never think to look for us."

"That's easier said than done," Nathan retorted before he spotted the glimmer in Ezra's eyes and realized Ezra had an answer. "You got an idea don't you?"

"Not much of an idea," Ezra confessed. "More of a gamble really but if it holds, it could be very useful to us."

"Where?" Nathan urged.

"Jofa."

"Jofa!" Vin exclaimed, even his ability to sense what Ezra had in mind did not prepare him for that. "Are you out of your mind? That's the place where Mary became famous for being the Hero of Jofa? It's dangerous and it's ....."

"No longer inhabited." Ezra pointed out. "The Empire wiped the Jofans out after the uprising Mr. Tanner. If there are any left, they would be more inclined to accommodate rebels who might be able to give them a way to strike back at the Empire."

"That's a big if." Nathan looked at him uncertainly. "We need a negotiator for that."

"I thought we had one, "Ezra responded smoothly, having considered that too. "We have a former Republic senator in our party that would be more then adequate to the task."

"Josiah." Vin guessed and then agreed it was a good choice. "Josiah could talk anybody into anything." The apprentice was now seeing what Chris had talked about so passionately when discussing Ezra and the role he could play in the Alliance once he chose to join them fully.

"As far as I know, the undersea cities were destroyed." Nathan remarked. "Even if there are any left do standing, it will take time to repair them."

"True," Ezra agreed but it was a redundant concern. When the inspiration for using Jofa as a rebel base had come to Ezra, he considered the logistical problems it would pose and had come up with a few solutions. "However, all the cities were connected to the surface by oceanic platforms that were a transfer point for off world cargo, passengers and such. These platforms are large, some were even the size of small cities. Even one would take care of our needs until we can restore more permanent facility beneath the waves."

"But if there are Jofans left, they're not going to be happy to know that Mary is our leader." Nathan pointed out. "I mean to the Empire she was the Hero of the Jofa because she led them against the natives during the uprising. To the Jofans, she'll be a criminal."

"Which is why the Empire will never think to look for any rebel command led by Mary Travis on Jofa." Ezra concluded. "They would think precisely what you are thinking right now."

"And you think Josiah is going to be able to convince them to let us land when they hear Mary is our commander?" He looked at Ezra skeptically.

"They have no choice Nathan," Ezra explained. "Jofans were not just native amphibians when the Empire destroyed their cities, they were also composed of an air breathing population that took care of all extra terrestrial interests. Almost all the Breathers, as the Jofans called them, were killed with the destruction of their pavilions and the Swimmers who were not annihilated by vengeful Imperial forces were left cut off from the rest of the galaxy. It was a symbiotic relationship forged from a thousand years of coexistence. With the Breathers, they were a space faring race and without them, the Swimmers if they still live are cut off and forgotten, with no way to avenge the dead half of their race. They need us as much as we need them. All we have to do is to ensure that Josiah is able to convince them of that."

"I hope you're right about this," Nathan sighed.

"He is," Vin smiled at Ezra, sensing the man's confidence and being able to take comfort in the fact that even though Mary was not here, it still appeared that the rebel cell of Territory was in good hands.


	12. Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit scene at the end of this chapter.

There was a strange sense of quiet following their crash landing that seemed far removed from the battle they had just emerged.

Stranded in what could be considered a tropical landscape, it was obscene such beauty could exist in tandem with the carnage that took place in the skies above the planet. The peaceful setting seemed awkward and poised on a knife's edge, with change likely to happen with the next breath of sweeping breeze. Chris could sense Mary's emotions even though it was hard to read her thoughts. In times of extreme stress such at this, she had a tendency to box them up, hiding them in a place so fortified very little could penetrate. Chris of course could break down those barriers easily but he refused to because she had a right to her privacy. Emotions radiated from her were easily read but thoughts required more specific burrowing and he knew for a fact she would not appreciate it.

Within the protective casing on the life pod, Chris examined Chano's wound and knew he would have to do something or else Mary's executive officer would not last the next day, let alone the next few hours if he remained untreated. Unfortunately, the chances of rescue were dwindling, not unless they called for help and they could not do that when their scrambler coils were damaged. It woul give away their position to the enemy who was surely waiting for such an action.

When Chris was piloting the X-wing, trying to bring the life pod to safety, TIE fighters singled him out for attack. Chris was certain Thrawn sent those ships to drive him into Siraj because he knew it was Mary who was on board it. Thrawn would have been able to track the X-wing's unceremonious entry into the atmosphere and while he might not know exactly where they were, he would have enough of an idea to begin searching. Unfortunately, Chano's injuries were bad enough to ensure mobility for them would not be possible.

"How am I doing?" Chano asked weakly, having roused in the middle of Chris's examination of his injuries.

Chris considered his answer before responding. He did not wish to make Chano believe the worse but his condition was critical and there was no hiding that. "You're doing fine," Chris finally answered. "But your injuries are another thing entirely."

Chano did not seemed surprise and Chris did not expect he would be. The executive officer of the  _Purgatory_  was an able man. He could assess his own injuries without Chris needing to lie to him. Chano processed the information regarding his state of health and accepted it. Chris supposed he would. The man was a soldier who understood the risks of warfare and more specifically the dangers of being attached to a rebellion against the Empire. "What about the  _Purgatory_?"

Chris shook his head. "I'm sorry," he replied softly, aware the ship meant as much to Chano as Mary. "She was destroyed."

Chano swallowed hard and turned away for a moment, feeling vulnerable enough as it was without showing Chris his pain at the destruction of the warship. "What about the fleet?"

"Chano, you need to rest," Chris started to speak, not wishing him to be inundated with news of the devastation.

"Please," he insisted. "Don't treat me with kid gloves, not if I'm going to die. I want to know my life paid for."

"You're not going to die," Chris declared. "Things are difficult at the moment but not impossible."

Chano did not appear to believe him. "Tell me," he asked again.

Chris nodded, deciding nothing was going to convince Chano otherwise so he might as well just tell him and be done with it. "The fleet was retreating. I'm not sure what happened but apparently they manage to disable the shield generator. I don't think half of our ships made it out of the launch bay. When I came after you and Mary, the general retreat had been sounded."

Chano absorbed the news well and muttered a slight 'damn' under his breath before he regarded Chris again. "What's our situation?"

Once again, Chris saw little reason in lying because on some level Chano must have suspected what was happening by the fact they were still inside the life pod. "Our situation is that we have crashed on the surface of Siraj, on the other side of the planet away from the base. My X-wing is scrap and our scrambler coils are damaged. I also think it is entirely possible the Imperials got a fix on us when we crashed so we should be expecting visitors in a few hours."

"I didn't expect that much truth." Chano retorted bringing a little smile to Chris' s face as well as his own.

"A Jedi is bound by it." Chris answered with a straight face.

"Sure, that's why you speak in cryptic sentences," Chano responded, wincing slightly as the pain overtook him. "So what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure," Chris said honestly. "Mary is trying to fix the scrambler coil. If we can get it activated, then we should be able to call for help. There might be enough ships left in the system for one of them to come get us, that is if they're not all gone yet."

"You have to get her away from here," Chano declared firmly. "If I can't be saved, don't waste your time and resources trying, you can't let them have her." He stared at Chris with a hard and determined gaze. "The cause needs her too much. I don't want you risking her life because of me. If you have to leave here to protect her, do it."

"Chano..." Chris believed the man was earnest in his wish to save Mary and for that Chris admired him a great deal but he did not know if he could do as Chano wanted. Mary would never stand for it and for that matter, neither could Chris.

"Please!" He begged.

"Alright," Chris conceded if only to calm him.

"Thank you," Chano said gratefully, believing the Jedi as he eased back onto the seat he was strapped into.

Nothing further was said as Chris administered all the treatment the medical supplies was capable of providing for the exec's severe injuries. It was barely a treatment but Chris felt he had to do something. There were Jedi who were capable of doing extraordinary things with the healing arts but Chris's talents did not lie in that direction and so he could do nothing but render Chano unconscious so the man would not suffer too greatly. However, the reality of the situation could not be denied that unless they found help soon, Chano would die.

* * *

Chris emerged a short time later from the life pod and went in search of Mary who was assessing the damage to the craft and its ability to sustain them for a time. Chano was resting as comfortably as Chris could make him and he could sense by her frustration, ]Mary was in similar need. As he made his way to her, he was invariably attracted to the sound of lapping waves from the nearby beach. With everything that happened today, being in a place as lovely as this seemed almost surreal. Chris enjoyed the salty breeze against his skin and stared up into the sky, wondering how long it would be before the Empire came after them. They were most likely having trouble pinpointing them because the X wing and life pod had become detached from each other prior to the crash.

"Damn it!" He heard Mary swear and arrived just in time to see her flinging a hydrospanner down at the ground in exasperation.

"Problem?" He asked neutrally, sensing she was in an extremely agitated state and the next thing thrown might be at  _him_.

"This whole communications panel is fused!" She shouted. "They sent a low level energy pulse at us to short out these systems! This was not some random accident Chris! This was intentional!"

It did not surprise Chris. If they wanted her as badly as he suspected, then it would have almost certainly ]been done to discern which pod she was on when the  _Purgatory_    was evacuated. Chris was starting to admire Grand Admiral Thrawn in a begrudging way. The man was certainly deserving of his rank but his genius worsened their own situation tremendously. Chris knew Mary was feeling the net closing around her and he did not blame her for her anxiety. Even a Jedi was as immune to such feelings.

"Mary, the Rebellion will come looking for you," he assured her. She was on top of the life pod, kneeling down before the damaged communication panel, appearing most disconsolate. The realization that things were grim had forced her to sit down and she wiped sweat off her brow as she tried to think.

"I don't want them to come looking for me!" Mary barked. "If they do, then they'll be caught by that son of a bitch up there!" She glared hatefully at the sky as if she could almost see Thrawn. "He's got us Chris! He knows it! Why do you think he's taking his time up there? He knows we can't go anywhere!"

"Mary," Chris walked up to the wall of the life pod and extended his hand outward to her. "Come on."

She stared at him. "Where?"

"Just come on," he growled, meaning he did not wish to ask her again.

Mary let out a groan of annoyance and climbed down from the life pod before reaching him. "What?"

Chris took her by the hand and pulled her away from the life pod. For a few seconds, he did not answer her annoyed questions about where they were going, despite the growing level of her exasperation. They moved through the woods surrounding the life pod and soon emerged from the tree line to be confronted with a length of pristine white beach. Foaming waves teased the shoreline as waves swept in from the lovely vision of ocean before them. In truth, Chris's purpose for taking her away from the life pod had been to keep Chano from becoming privy to their worsening condition. Already the exec was asking Chris to abandon him to the Empire and Chris did not wish the man to do anything foolish if he learnt their capture was almost a certainty. The man was unconscious but he did not want to risk Mary's anger waking him up.

"Look." Chris said gesturing to the ocean before them.

"Its very beautiful," Mary said taking in a deep breath of sea air. "But does not answer my question of what we are doing here?"

"What we are doing here," Chris stared at her. "Is giving you a chance to vent without Chano hearing you."

Mary's expression melted into dismay as she understood. Turning away ashamed, she muttered softly. "Oh Chris, I didn't think."

"It's alright," he placed his hands on her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "I know you have a lot on your mind."

"Chris, I don't know what to do." She confessed, turning around and when she did, he saw tears running down her cheeks. "We can't stay here because they will come looking for us and we can't move Chano. We can't even call for help because if the Rebel fleet had any sense, they would be on their way out of the system. We can't expect a rescue."

"I know," Chris agreed, having considered all these points already.

"Chris," Mary took a deep breath and Chris could sense something deep and foreboding emanating from her thoughts, something that made the Force inside him tremble with uncertainty. "I think perhaps we ought to consider me surrendering to them."

"Absolutely not!" Chris responded so quickly the word escaped him like a reflex action.

"Chris! We have to consider it!" She insisted. "Thrawn's entire expedition was to capture me alive. We can use that to our advantage."

"How?" He demanded, staring at her in astonishment, unable to believe she could even suggest such a thing. "How could you think giving yourself up to them to be an advantage?"

"He wants me alive. He _needs_ me alive. A Grand Admiral does not get sent to do this sort of work. Any Imperial commander in the fleet is capable of engaging us. If  Thrawn was sent to lead this assault, it was because to capture me alive! I know what I mean in terms of morale and politics and I understand what my capture would mean but I am one person and the cause will survive if I'm gone. They won't kill me Chris. I will be made an example of, probably brought to Coruscant so the Emperor can crow about my capture."

"Mary," Chris shook his head, not about to entertain such a thought, even for a second with all the points she had brought up. "We're not talking about this."

"Chris," she refused to give up because he did not wish to see they really had no choice. "If I surrender myself, perhaps I can convince Thrawn to leave the system once I am in custody. Those who are here, including you and Chano will have a chance to escape. There are people in the base that are trapped because of the attack, who are injured and unable to escape. If those Imperial ships leave, our people can retrieve them."

"Mary, I won't let you go." Chris said firmly. "We both know once you are in Imperial custody, they will kill you."

"You are a Jedi," Mary countered. "Tell me what you see about my fate? Am I to die now?"

Chris shook his head. "It does not work that way. The future is hard to predict, emotions are always clouding the outcome."

"Tell me!" She insisted.

"I DON'T KNOW!" He shouted back at her losing control. "ALL I KNOW IS THAT I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!"

"Oh Chris," Mary took his face in her hands and pulled him to her. Their lips met in a soft lingering kiss. She could feel Chris trying to draw away, probably because he thought this expression of intimacy was some attempt by her to sway his decision. In truth, it probably was but Mary had seen the emotion in his eyes and guessed the words he could not say. Admitting it was beyond him right now because the change in their relationship had come rather suddenly but she knew how she felt. It was the truth, no matter how difficult the revelation would mean in light of what she wished to do.

"I can't let you go," he whispered as her mouth opened beneath his, like a sensuous blossom reacting to sunlight.

Mary ignored his words, her hands sliding around his neck as she pulled him closer. Her passion for him taking hold as the power of his lips against hers started to impress itself upon every inch of her consciousness. Without being aware of it, Mary's mouth had started plundering his, her hands closed around his neck, were now exploring other places. She felt him responding to her kisses, felt the resistance melt away for pure hungry need and with a growl of desire, he was holding her to him, pressing their bodies together, until there was no mistaking his need for her or her wish to satisfy him. Her fingers raked through his blond hair while he wrapped his arms around her waist and yielded to his desire now he allowed himself to feel it.

Chris felt himself aching even as he kissed her, unable to believe just how incredible she tasted. For months, they had been close emotionally but even he was unprepared for the totality of their physical connection. Mary was almost dizzy from his demanding mouth as she felt him suckle on her lower lip. Together they created a taste that had them battling each other for dominance as their tongues dueled in heated combat. Sweet pleasure exuding from every stroke, Mary could feel every perfect sensation down to her toes. His large hands were gliding up and down her back, trying to study every curve of her body while at the same time savoring the sensation against his flesh. The pleasure of his touch was far more potent than any fantasy she entertained about him. This was a reality  sweeter than any dream.

Chris could not breathe but then catching his breath would mean he would have to leave those incredible lips and he could not bear that. Instead, his mouth moved down her neck, exploring new flesh as he journeyed downwards, his hand cupping her breast in his palm though the fabric of her clothes. When he squeezed gently, he felt her arc against him and he continued caress that curve of flesh, eliciting a soft groan of pleasure from her in his ruthless desire to feel all of her now that they had crossed that line with each other. Chris had wanted her so badly for so long but he could not imagine how incredible she could feel until now. All he could knew was his insides knotting were from the sheer anticipation of taking her right here and now.

" Chris…" She whimpered as hand finally tugged at the coarse material of her uniform before he thrusted his fingers past it to reach the smooth white skin of the breast he could not see but throbbed when feeling it. As his fingers grazed an erect nipple, Mary arched sensuously against him, her supine body pressing hard against his own. Chris was coming undone by the heat of her as their urgency for each other swallowed them whole.

She had never dreamed it could be like this. Mary felt Chris continue further down her neck, exploring every inch of her skin while he began to lower her gently to the sandy beach beneath them. The lapping of waves and the sunshine overhead made the whole moment transcendent. She would have this  _one_  thing. She loved him, she had from the moment they had met and if she were going to do what she intended, then her last act of freedom would be loving him.

Chris paused a second as they landed on the soft sand beneath them, a look of understanding past through each others eyes as they silently surrendered to what laying with each other would mean to their relationship. Mary unbuttoned her suit, sliding it down over her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed red with self consciousness as she disrobed, for it had been a long time since she had loved any man enough to take this step with him. Chris felt his breath catch as he was presented with the magnificence of alabaster skin and Mary blushed once more, suddenly shy as she recognized the hungry yearning in his eyes.

Slowly but uncertainly, she moved towards him, helping him out of his clothes. Chris stared at her as her fingers pulled at his fastenings, until he was just as exposed as she and they stared at each other for a time, all titles and complications just as discarded as the clothes near them. The rebellion, the war and everything else that kept them apart was now some distant memory as they stole this brief moment in time for themselves. When he was bare, Mary swallowed thickly as her palms began to explore his taut chest, becoming accustomed to his skin before desire made her bolder. She teased the tiny plateau of his nipples and elicited a pleasured growl from his lips as they contracted into hard points of flesh, sensitive to the touch. Chris did not believe he could have ever wanted any woman as badly as Sarah but when he grabbed Mary's wrists and set upon her, enclosing his mouth around one tight rosebud nipple, he knew Mary could never be considered as just  _any_ woman.

"Chris…" she chanted his name repeatedly as her hands caressed the beautiful muscles of his back, delighting in the feel of taut flesh and found herself singularly lost in how he made her feel. She was aware of nothing but this insistent tugging at her nipple that was driving her deeper and deeper into a realm of pure sensation, drowning her in a swell of frenzy.

 _I can't ever be without her._ That was all that Chris could think as he nursed on her, delighting in the incredible taste and growing so hard that he could barely endure the torturous pleasure of it all. He wanted her to possess her, to love her, to be all the things for her, in body as well as in spirit. The need for her was beyond reason and when he bit down on that sensitive bud of flesh again and felt her nails claw at his back, his resolve to maintain control of the situation splinter into a thousand fragments.

His hand brush past her thighs causing her stomach to clench with anticipation as his finger traced a line slowly down her body. His smooth hands glided under her hips, savoring with the silk of her skin as he explored the most intimate part of her. The feel of his palms pressured against already sensitive skin brought another soft moan to her lips. Chris smiled at the reaction and took his time exploring her, wanting everything about this moment to be perfect. He wanted her to regret nothing even if this was the last day of their lives, even if the end of this day would see them in Imperial hands.

Suddenly Mary felt his finger caressing her folds, gently nudging her legs apart before sliding one digit deep inside her. Her muscles clenched immediately in reaction and Chris found himself groaning softly at the tight feel of her moist passage around his fingers. He imagined what it would feel like when those same muscles tightened around his cock. The very thought of it made him groan once more before the need to ravage her mouth became as vital as plundering the rest of her body. Kissing her passionately, he inserted another finger, pressing hard against its walls of insides, already wet with juices, and was rewarded with another pleasured sigh. Then he withdrew long enough to find her erect center and smiled when a experimental tweak caused her to push hard against him in reaction to the wonderful sensation.

Chris continued pleasuring her with his mouth, kissing her hard while continuing to torture the tiny pearl of flesh between her legs that was making her whimper his name with every gentle stroke. Her body writhed under him, each moan and whimper making him so hard, he could barely think and he wondered how much of control was his and not the Force keeping him from taking her right this moment. Whatever it was, Chris did not care. He only wanted to please her and whatever agency was allowing him to do that was a force he would not question. He did not care because he loved her.

From the first time he had seen her inside that tavern in Cordoba Chris had known it and in the months that followed, he had tried to deny it even though his love was being fortified with each second in her company. Chris had thought that he would never feel this way after Sarah had died but Mary was such a surprise and in a universe full of wonders, she was quite simply the best one.

"I love you know." He whispered as he started to push inside Mary and saw her eyes glisten with moisture not simply from the pleasure of him but from the words he had spoken. Words, she knew had been so hard for him to say.

"I love you." She responded and a tear rolled down her cheek.

It was a sight Chris could not stand as he kissed her again and continue to nudge past her folds, trying to maintain his composure but finding it damn near impossible because she felt so damn good! He practically slid into her like she made of warm honey and they connected in perfect unity. It was almost as if cosmic design had made her for him. Her heat sheathed him within waves upon waves of sensual ecstasy, until he was forced to close his eyes and focus or else he would lose his control entirely. It was so easy to be overwhelmed by the incredible tightness of her slick heat, compressed around his tortured cock.

Chris broke away from her lips as they both needed to catch their breath. The sensations they were producing because of each other were literally drawing body and soul out of them. Chris braced himself on either side of her thighs, his hand digging into the soft sand. Her legs circled him and Chris hooked her thigh over his hip for better access as he began to pump inside of her. She tensed with each incredible stroke he pounded inside her body and pulled his mouth to hers again, feeling the need to taste him once more. Mary matched his rhythm with the tongue darting in and out of his mouth until all he could do to from coming completely undone was to keep time with it. He closed his eyes tight, sweat glistening over his body, his jaw taut with pleasure at the need to maintain control but she felt far more incredible than he ever dreamed and when he felt her demanding lips, he felt his resolve began to splinter.

"Mary!" He groaned into her kiss and pumped even harder, ramming himself so far inside he could feel the hard obstruction of muscle at the end of that heavenly passage. Her thighs tensed around his waist and drew another tortured groan from him because they were clenching his cock with incredible pressure. Chris could feel indescribable pleasure each time he was forced to breach that narrow expanse of hot, moist flesh and thought he would go mad from being without. The heat of her clenching muscles was burning a hole through his soul, flooding his senses with so much pleasure he was aware of nothing else but her. If this was the last thing he did in this life, Chris was more than happy to die.

"I love you," he moaned hoarsely, pumping harder until his cock became so hard, he did not think it was possible to hold back his release another second. Mary herself was starting to crumble by the pounding of unbelievable sensation inside her. She knew her control was starting to fracture as his cock continued to generate a white heat inside her at a devastating pace. He was going to bring her over the edge of oblivion and then back again. She could feel its pressure foaming inside her loins, until every nerve was screaming in anticipation of the moment.

She continued to squeeze his cock mercilessly, taunting him with more and more sensation until he was one tightly wound muscle, demanding for surrender. It was just as well for she had reached the stars and could go no further as the shattering expression of her pleasure swept through her and then took her away on a tidal wave she could not stop nor did she want it to. Her fingers dug into his back, driving her nails deep into his skin in a symphony of pleasure and pain, which only added to the excitement he already felt. It took Chris like a spell conjured especially for him and he was completely in its power when he heard her invoke it.

"Chris!"

Hearing that pleasured cry in his ear sapped the last of his strength and his endurance shattered with the contraction of her muscles around his cock in that final moment of crescendo. It splintered his world and he uttered a guttural groan of raw, primeval satisfaction as he pumped his seed into her with powerfully relentless strokes. Every drop of himself escaped into her deepest crevices, taking with it his heart and his soul. Their joining branded each other for life and no matter what happened after this, it would follow them forever, through this world and into the next. His mind spun around in a kaleidoscope of color as his body shuddered in the wake of its powerful release. His hands clawed sand as Mary continued to kiss him on his journey down, her fingers raking through his hair as he continued to gasp, forcing more and more of himself into her until nothing was left.

He collapsed against her and felt as if he had come home when she held him in her arms, their skins  feeling as if pain was something that could be lived with as long as he did it with her. They did not speak, there was no need to as the world continue around them, knowing that whatever happened later would happen, it was their time now.

For however long it lasted.


	13. Surrender

The sun pinching at her skin roused Mary from the light sleep she had fallen into. She opened her eyes to see the sun fading away into the horizon. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and when the memory returned to her, with its warm and tender images of love making, Mary could not help but allow a small smile of content to run across her lips. She was still lying in Chris’s arm, naked on a tropical shore and could not help chuckle at the thought of being found by the Empire in this manner. The look on their faces might just be worth the capture. Shifting her head slightly, she noted Chris was dozing just as restfully as she had been and took a moment to watch him in his sleep, relishing the pleasure of knowing he loved her as much as she loved him. For a few seconds, she stared at him, thinking he looked so much younger with a hint of boyish innocence not at all marked by pain and loss. She wished she could see him like this all the time but supposed the memory of this day would have to be enough to sustain her in what was to come.

Mary took a deep breath and steeled herself inwardly as she shifted out of Chris’s embrace, careful not to wake him. She knew he was weary because he had been through as much as she on this day but as a soldier and the leader of the rebel base, she had learn to get by on less sleep. The priorities of the job had taught her that much. Mary rose to her feet and was grateful Chris remained in slumber allowing her to do what she had to in relative peace. She gathered her clothes and dressed quietly, still watching him and basking in the sight of him in the wake of their intense lovemaking before she left him and headed towards the life pod. She did not have much time and him being asleep was probably the best chance she had of doing what she intended without interruption. While she was certain she could have masked her thoughts long enough to carry out her plan, this way was less strenuous.

Reaching the life pod, she glanced inside its confines and noted Chano was still unconscious thought what he was experiencing could hardly be called sleep. His color was pale and his condition appeared to be worsening, confirming again her decision to something was the only chance for Chano before it was too late. Without wasting time, she went to the communications panel and activated it. As anticipated, the panel flashed warnings the scrambler coils were damaged and any signal sent could be intercepted but Mary ignored it, choosing to continue with her transmission. Her fingers flew over the keypad and in a matter of seconds, an unfamiliar voice filled the inside of the pod.

"This is the  _Chimaera_ , what is your operating code?" 

Mary closed her eyes, knowing that even now, they were tracking the transmission from the bridge of that ship back to her. Releasing a held breath, she answered bravely, even though inside she trembling with fear. "This is Commander Mary Travis of the rebel fleet, I wish to speak to Grand Admiral Thrawn."

"Stand by," the voice returned and confirmed to Mary there was no other choice. Even Thrawn knew eventually she would have to surface.

Less than a minute ticked by before Mary received an answer to her request and in that time, she prayed she could gamble with a Grand Admiral and win because if she was wrong, Chris and Chano were as good as dead. Chano would be left to die in his present condition but Chris would be delivered to Vader and his Emperor and that was something Mary did not wish to see. Her thoughts returned to the moment when a holographic image of Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared on the console panel before Mary.

"Commander Travis." He said coolly. "How nice to see you are in one piece."

"Let’s dispense with the civilities shall we Admiral?" Mary retorted, having no patience to endure idle chatter. "You have me at disadvantage and you know it. I am here to talk terms."

"Very well," Thrawn replied unperturbed but then he had no reason to be, Mary thought bitterly, he held all the cards. "Although what terms you are referring to seems to elude me since the only course of action you have at this point is unconditional surrender."

"We have terms to discuss," Mary reiterated. "Make no mistake on that. You may have caused significant damage to my fleet but you have not destroyed it. I have been pondering what you said about being given this assignment to bring me in. I take it such a directive would have come from the Emperor himself."

"You assume correctly," Thrawn responded, his voice hiding his puzzlement at where she was taking this conversation. "What of it?"

"I assume a significant part of this order requires my being taken alive." Mary returned and noted the flicker in Thrawn’s eyes as she made that statement. It could have been fluctuations in the holographic image but somehow Mary did not think so and she was proven right by his answer.

"A great deal," Thrawn confessed, starting to see the strategy she had in mind. She was certainly determined enough to carry it out and with that Thrawn realized the woman was correct; they did have terms to discuss. "Your capture and trial would be give the morale of the Empire a well needed boost, I am told."

"I see," Mary nodded having suspected more or less the same. "So I assume everyone in general will be rather upset if I chose to blow my brains out right this minute, rather than risk capture?"

Thrawn smiled faintly, admiring her bravery if not her cause. "It would be most inconvenient," he remarked. "So what would we have to do to keep you from doing just that Commander?"

"Are you man who gives his word Grand Admiral? I haven’t met anyone of your rank who was unable to keep his word to a fellow officer although Imperial officers seem to be the exceptions these days. I need to know since I have no bargaining points other than my life."

"I do not give my word lightly," Thrawn said after a pause and surprised himself by meaning it. She had been a worthy adversary and occurrences were rare when he encountered one. As two battlefield commanders, he could make a gesture, considering he had some idea of what she wanted. "If you tell me what it is you wish of me, I will try to accommodate it within reason."

"Alright," Mary swallowed and knew this was for the best, no matter what the outcome. "If you send a shuttle to these coordinates, I will come with you willingly. I will place myself in your custody without incident so long as you leave the system immediately after my incarceration. You’ve achieved more than an outstanding military victory here already and you will have captured the most decorated commander in the Rebel fleet. A handful of lives on the planet cannot make that much difference to you."

"It does not," Thrawn replied automatically since she was right. He had accomplished all he had set out to do. The defeat at Siraj was a crushing blow to the Rebel Alliance, especially with Mary Travis in custody. If it would guarantee him her incarceration without incident, allowing him to present the Emperor with his prize, Thrawn was willing to sacrifice the rest of the expedition. "Are you so willing to trust I will keep my word?" He asked, not thinking her gullible enough to take him on face value.

Mary was prepared for this. "You will send one pilot in a short range shuttle to these coordinates. I will not be able to leave the system in it even if I chose to renege on our arrangement. I will however, be able to land within the  _Chimaera_  and use its internal sensors to ascertain whether you have jumped into hyperspace. I will remain in your landing bay until I am certain the attack force has left Siraj. If for one moment, you attempt a deception, I’ll blow the thing sky high and take half your ship with me. Do we understand each other?"

Thrawn smiled. "Masterfully played Commander, I wished we had met under different circumstances."

"You will forgive me if I don’t say the same." Mary returned coldly.

"How soon will we put this little play into action?" Thrawn inquired not at all offended.

Mary felt time pressing against her and wished she never conceived of this terrible plan but her regret was brief because she had done what was necessary. Chris and Chano would survive. She would use the Imperial shuttle once she had control of it to send a coded frequency to the coordinates for the rendezvous point and the rebellion would dispatch a rescue ship for both of them. It was the best she could do for the two men because she was Commander Travis and no matter what the cost, they came first. They would always come first.

"Have the shuttle depart immediately and I warn you Thrawn, no tricks. I expect you to keep your word but if you don’t, your Emperor will have no prize. The last thing I do in this life will be to ensure that much." Mary repeated herself, her voice filled with venom.

"Understood," Thrawn said tautly. "Our pilot will be at your coordinates shortly. Please leave this frequency open."

Mary nodded and stepped away from the panel as the image of Thrawn faded from view with a slight ripple of static.  _Well it is done_ , she thought silently to herself as her eyes searched the pod and found the weapons locker. Moving towards it, Mary almost felt as if everything taking place was no longer happening to her. Events were slipping into substance of unreality. When she pulled open the locker and sighted the blaster within, she knew that this was real because what she was about to do could not be imagined even in her worst nightmares. She adjusted the blaster in her hand and focussed herself, aware the ruse she was about to perform required the deepest concentration.

Once she had steadied herself adequately, Mary Travis went to find Chris Larabee.

* * *

_Something was wrong._

Chris felt it immediately and woke up.

The tremors he felt in the Force where like quakes, signaling calamity in each wave of prescience that moved through him. He thought it might be the Empire and immediately got to his feet, having awoken so abruptly from his fitful sleep he cursed himself for letting down his guard in the first place. However, it did not take long to realize as he quickly put on his clothes, there was no sign of the Empire but the danger whatever it was, loomed in the darkness, waiting to spring. His Jedi senses were functioning with their usual potency but there was something wrong and he could not imagine what it was. He saw Mary gone and noted her footsteps had taken her to the life pod. Pulling on his boots, he quickly followed the tracks hoping they would lead him to her. His heart was pounding and there was this terrible feeling he could not shake that was growing more urgent by the minute.

He concentrated on finding Mary, to ensure she was not in any kind of danger and found her almost immediately. After what happened between them, their connection seemed even stronger. She was close, he discovered and on her way to find him. Her emotions were filled with sadness, an acceptance they were not going to escape this present trap. Chris supposed he could not blame her for that because things were rather dire at the present and considering how responsible she felt about all of this, it was no wonder she was dwelling on it. However, amidst the desolation in her heart, her mind was thinking of their love making, replaying it in her head as she saw in her mind’s eyes their heated coupling. Chris could feel those same passions as she did and was almost lost to them when he noticed something beneath it all that only an experienced Jedi was capable of seeing past. Something that concerned him right away because what she was thinking seemed forced, like a series of numbers she was reciting in her head over and over again, as if trying not to forget it or worse yet, trying to conceal her real thoughts from him.

Chris looked up in understanding just in time to see Mary appear before him and pull the trigger of the blaster in her hand. She caught him completely off guard, the beam of energy digging into the flesh of his stomach and sending his flying backward from the power of its discharge. The pain came almost immediately after, a deep searing sensation that would have torn a cry of agony from him if he were not so confused. He landed hard on the ground, feeling bones break on impact and then having his nostrils filled with a smell he knew to be charred flesh. He was dying and he knew it, even as the agony of the blast twisted him with its unrelenting waves of pain. He raised his head, staring at her in shock and betrayal as she approached, the gun in her having dropped lifelessly to her side. Tears were running down her cheeks and he recognized the sound coming from her as weeping.

"I love you more than anything in the world Chris," she whispered. Mary was standing a good distance away from him but close enough so that he could look into her eyes and understand what she had done was for him and Chano, even if it did not appear that way right now. "I could never let them hurt you but I know you wouldn't let me save you even if I could. A choice has to be made Chris and the Rebellion needs the Force and the Jedi Knights to be more than just an army but to be a beacon of light against the darkness that is coming. I can't provide that light but you, Vin and others like you can so none of you can be sacrificed, not for me."

"NO!" Chris groaned, understanding completely what she intended. He did not have much time left, already his training and his natural impulses were kicking in. In a matter of minutes, his body would shut down and he would enter a Jedi healing trance that would render him unconscious for however long it took to heal from his injuries. "Don’t do this!" He begged almost reduced to tears. "We’ll find another way!"

She swallowed hard as she saw him grow weaker and left the weapon on the ground when she finally reached him. He was in no condition to offer her any resistance and Mary lowered herself next to Chris and took him in her arms. "This is the only way Chris," she whispered, her salty tears landing on his cheek as she tried not to cry. "I cannot bear it if you were to die, I just could not imagine living in a world without you."

"And you think I can!" He swore and winced in pain as blood gushed out of his wound from the exertion. He was badly injured but within the capability of the healing trace to survive. However, he was helpless to do anything else. "I love you Mary, please don’t do this. I can’t lose you."

"You’ll never lose me Chris," she smiled and kissed him tenderly on the mouth. "I’ll always be with you. Tell Billy I love him and ask Orin to take care of my son. I know you will protect them both. I do not intend to give up our secrets but I need you to ensure what I know is worthless to the Empire. My son and Orin will have to removed from Bakura." She paused a moment and blinked, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as he stared into his horrified eyes. "I am sorry it had to be this way but this was for the best, I love you Chris."

"MARY NO!" He hissed but his ability to stay conscious was slipping away fast and Mary held him in her arms as she watched him succumbed to the trance, holding him until he was unconscious. When his eyes closed, her tears came in loud racking sobs that shook her body as she wept for him and for herself. She hoped Chris would forgive her but understood if he did not, in a matter of days it would make little much difference.

She would be on Coruscant and nothing would matter then. Not even forgiveness.

* * *

Vin heard a scream inside his mind.

Its power was such that it sent shock waves throughout his body, leaving him for a moment disorientated and uncertain of what had happened. The scream, like the howl of an animal, echoed through his consciousness and shook him to the core by the intensity of its pain and sorrow. Vin felt his heart shrink inside his chest as if someone had thrust a blade through it and was proceeding to cleave it into two. At the cockpit of his ship, Vin barely had presence of mind to turn the controls over to his co-pilot who was demanding to know what was wrong with him. Vin could barely answer as he tried to catch his breath, aware that whatever it was, had came from the Force. While it was not quite like what he experienced on Ithor it was similar by its anger and pain.

"Vin!" JD demanded again when Vin had not answered him the first time. "What’s the matter?"

"Take over," Vin muttered as he clutched his head, trying to cope with the overload to his senses.

JD did not need to be told twice. The young man immediately switched command control to his console and guided the  _Tracker_  through its emergence from hyperspace. Considering what they might be emerging into, this was not the time for Vin to be having an episode. He sometimes wished the Jedi flashes did not pick such inconvenient times to exert itself though he knew his opinion was due to his ignorance of the subject. Of course today, that could mean virtually any subject. JD concentrated on taking the  _Tracker_  out of hyperspace, trying not to worry too much about Vin or think back on the events of today. So many people had died needlessly, including his friend Finn. Finn had been shot down during the attacks on the fighters sent to protect the rebel transports. The young man, with barely enough experience under his belt to be flying a patrol was no match for seasoned TIE fighters and despite JD’s best efforts, he could not save his friend. He was not about to let the same thing happen to Vin.

"Are you okay?" JD asked apprehensively.

"I’m fine," Vin muttered, clutching his head. The shock wave had evaporated into an echo but there was nothing else to follow that initial burst from the Force. He felt its rumblings dissipate and once it was manageable, Vin was allowed to discern its origins. It did not take him long to find out. "That was Chris."

"Chris?" JD stared at Vin, hoping that nothing bad had happened to the Jedi. "Is he okay?"

"I don’t know," Vin answered disturbed. "I don’t think so. I heard his pain. It was terrible. Like something had ripped the heart out him. There was so much anguish."

And then it clicked in his mind without any difficulty at all. There was only one thing that could make Chris scream out in agony like this. "It's Mary." Vin stared at the younger man. "Something has happened to Mary."

"What?" JD asked fearfully. They had anticipated the worst for Mary ever since learning the  _Purgatory_   was destroyed but until now, it had not felt real. Nobody could bring themselves to think Mary Travis might be dead but hearing Vin say it with such conviction, following a cry of anguish from Chris Larabee, there could be no more denying the possibility.

"Is she dead?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"I don’t know," Vin shook his head. His connection was to Chris, not Mary. He did not have the ability to seek out a specific person as a fully trained Jedi Knight was capable of doing. Vin was still so new at being a Jedi but he had sense with certainty that some misfortune had befallen Chris because following that tortured cry, came a sound even worse.

Silence.

"We have to find him," Vin declared, staring at JD.

"We have no idea where to start looking." JD pointed out.

The slipstream starship began to hum as it began the process of emerging into normal space. With a slight lurch, the streaking stars around the  _Tracker_  started to slow and soon came to a stop in the place of their usual constellations. The ship had re-entered normal space and the system appeared nowhere as chaotic as it did earlier. Vin, who was somewhat recovered from his experience studied the console screen that displayed the readings from the long-range sensors.

"Massive energy surge just above Siraj 2," Vin pointed out. "Looks like the Empire is leaving."

"Leaving?" JD said with surprise. "I thought it was standard procedure for them to mop up after a battle like this one."

"It is," Vin retorted, familiar enough with Imperial procedure to know this much was true but for some reason, this fleet was not following those rules. "But according to these readings, they’re jumping to light speed. All of four destroyers and its support craft." He continued to watch the screen for a few more seconds before the fleet disappeared entirely. "They’re definitely gone."

"Is that good?" JD looked at him suspiciously.

"I don’t know," Vin shrugged, a bad feeling coming over him even though he could not decide why that was. "I guess they got what they came for."

"Hey wait a minute," JD spoke up once more. "I’ve got an incoming transmission on one of our scrambler frequencies."

"Someone must be down there." Vin replied, leaning over to study the energy signature of the transmission.

"No," JD shook its head. "Its been left behind on what appears to be an Imperial beacon."

"What?" Vin met his gaze and the younger man’s confusion was just as evident. "One of our codes is coming from an Imperial source? If it's a trap, it's a pretty obvious one. What does it say?"

"Its brief," JD replied as he studied its configuration. "On a rotating modulation, repeating on cycles of two minutes."

"That's pretty rapid," Vin noted and considered what could come from an Imperial beacon with such urgency. "Let's check it trajectory." He took charge of deciphering it, allowing JD to handle the cockpit controls for awhile as he attended to this himself. After a time, the answer flashed before him. "Hell, its being directed straight at the Elrood System."

"Our rendezvous point!" JD exclaimed, wondering if the Empire was leaving the system in order to continue its attack there. Suddenly JD was very grateful Ezra had opted to move the fleet in anticipation of discovery by Imperial forces. If that was the fleet’s destination, then they would arrive in the Elrood system to find nothing.

"There's more to it," Vin's voice became soft and strained as the message relayed itself to him in its entirety, explaining a great deal more than why a message for the Rebel Alliance would come to them in such a manner, as well as what Vin sensed from Chris. His heart ached for his friend while at the same time, filling him with the urgent need to reach Chris before it was too late.

"JD, set course for the planet, I'm feeding the planetary coordinates to the navigation system." Vin ordered sharply.

"What is it?" JD stared at him, recognizing the tension in his voice and knew this could not be good news.

Vin paused long enough to answer JD before he resumed what he was doing. "It's Mary."

*************

It did not take long for the  _Tracker_  to home in on the coordinates sent to them in Mary Travis’s last message to the Rebel Alliance. The craft landed a short distance away from the life pod, its remains easy to see from the air because of the large grooves of charred earth that had been left in the wake of the pod’s violent landing. As the  _Tracker_  put down, Vin Tanner worried what he would find even though Mary’s message had given him a clear indication of it. Even now, the apprentice was still in shock at what their leader had done even if it was just like her to take such action. For Mary, those under her command always came first no matter what the risks to herself. In this instance he questioned her judgement, wondering if she knew what was her capture would mean to the Alliance and most specifically his best friend.

Chris’s mind was silent but Mary had explained that too and so Vin had little trouble locating him. They arrived at the life pod first and quick examination of Chano who was still unconscious, revealed his grave condition. Vin was grateful his ship came equipped with a stasis unit for that was the only way that Chano would make it back to the Rebellion without dying during the trip. As it was, Vin was somewhat amazed he had survived this long. Before he sought out Chris, Vin ensured that Chano was delivered safely to his ship so that he could placed into stasis.

Once Vin was certainChano was taken care of, he went in search of Chris Larabee. His friend’s life force though weak, was a beacon that drew him to Chris’s location. He found the wounded Jedi in a clearing of trees, unconscious. Mary was precise when she fired at him, aware his injuries had to be serious enough to force him into a Jedi healing trance but not so much he would be killed instantly. Vin marveled in morbid curiosity the will able to pull the trigger on Chris when it was obvious that they both loved each other deeply. However, it also made sense she would take this course of action in choosing to surrender herself to Empire, to save not only those here but also the wounded still trapped in the wreckage of the rebel base. Chris would never had let her go and Vin supposed when faced with that obstacle, what she had done was pure Mary Travis, brilliantly unexpected.

Vin doubted Chris would have known what hit him until it was too late.

"Is he alive?" JD asked when he saw Chris in Vin’s arms after the apprentice found his master and dragged him back to the ship.

"He’s in better shape than Chano," Vin grunted an answer as he moved quickly up the ramp with Chris in his grip. "But not much."

JD immediately descended the platform and met him partway to help carry Chris on board. The younger man noted Chris’s lack of response and looked questioningly at Vin. "Is he in one of those trance things again?"

"Yeah," Vin nodded. "Mary figured if she could hurt him enough, he would go into the healing trance so she could turn herself into the Empire."

"Do you think he knew?" JD asked, unable to assimilate the situation because it was so unimaginable. However, he soon realized almost all of it was. It would sink in soon enough but for the moment, he was still trying to take in everything that happened today.

Vin remembered the scream he heard in his mind. That  had come from Chris, Vin had no doubt of that. Until receiving Mary’s message, Vin had not understood why. Now he did.

"Yeah," Vin nodded somberly, remembering that wail of utter despair in his mind as he gazed at his unconscious friend. "He knew."


	14. Aftermath

Ezra Standish stared outside the pexiglassed window of the observation deck and admired the iridescent glow of Jofa beneath him.

For centuries, poets and artists respectively had attempted to immortalize the planet’s beauty without ever realising it was a pointless exercise. No words spoken, no picture drawn could ever compare with the reality he was viewing at present. In the days of the Old Republic, Jofa had been spoken about as the testament to co-existence where two different species, one indigenous and one colonial, managed to build a new society. Together they built one of the most peace loving civilizations in the Republic, a race of artists who spread the beauty of their world throughout the galaxy. Even the violence of the Empire could not take that away from Jofa, even if that race was now extinct.

Ezra Standish stared out the window because if he turned around, he would be confronted with the observation deck that had been converted into a hospital ward because the  _Angel of Mercy_  was so overloaded with wounded there was no place left for them to be. The sight of Jofa might offer them comfort but it would be a poor consolation to what they had lost on this day. Ezra let out a deep breath and turned around, finding himself confronted with rows upon rows of rebel personnel, lying prone on cots as medical droids and technicians moved busily through the aisle of bodies, attempting to deal with everyone. With the withdrawal of the Empire from the Siraj system, Ezra was able to send back a rescue team to retrieve the people at the devastated base.

The command structure of the fleet was in tatters. A large number of the dead was ranking officers and with the absence of Mary Travis, the rebel cell of the Territory was in something of a vacuum. Confusion and shock was prevalent among those who remained and in the wake of their losses, someone had to make the decisions and surprisingly enough Ezra found he was able to do that. By the time, they had arrived at Jofa; Josiah who was the representative of the Alliance War Council, had given him a battlefield appointment of commander, making him the highest-ranking officer within the fleet. Ezra would only accept the role in order to be of service during Mary’s absence. Unfortunately, in light of present news, it appeared that it could be more permanent that he would have like.

The capture of Mary Travis had the desired effect the Empire hoped to achieve when sending Grand Admiral Thrawn after her; to deliver a devastating as well as demoralizing blow to the Rebel Alliance from which it would never recover. As Ezra studied the desolate faces before him, it seems that goal might have well been achieved. A part of him did not know how he had come to this. It felt like almost a lifetime had passed since he saved Nathan from that Imperial outpost on Doldur. Until then, he had only been interested in surviving his military service, stationed comfortably on Coruscant where he could roam the sabaac houses, looking to make a fortune using his skills as a gambler.

He had no idea just how big the game was about to get. Not until this moment.

"How are you doing  _Commander_?" Nathan Jackson asked playfully as he approached his old friend and noted from his expression that Ezra was still a little shaken by all the changes having taken place in his life within the last few hours.

"I hold you entirely responsible for this," Ezra scowled as Nathan joined him.

"I’ll try to live with the shame." Nathan deadpanned but softened enough to add, "you did good Ezra."

"My mother is going to kill me." Ezra grumbled some more, feeling the need to take his chagrin out on somebody and Nathan would do just nicely right now. "She would rather me be a criminal than a freedom fighter."

"Maude will take it in stride," Nathan chuckled, aware that Ezra’s belligerence was only a mask for his anxiety at failing those who were now trusting him to lead them as Mary had done. Of course that was impossible because they were two different people with two different ways of command, no less effective than one another. In the days to come, they would need Ezra to survive. "Have you told her?"

"I have informed her to make herself scarce," Ezra responded, recalling the contents of the coded transmission he sent to the Corporate Sector an hour ago. "I have not said why but she knows I would not make such a request lightly."

"Good," Nathan nodded, keeping to himself Josiah would be pleased of this fact too. Ezra was still in some denial about his mother’s involvement with Josiah Sanchez, particularly when the relationship was formed prior to his birth. Nathan let his gaze sweep across the observation deck at the makeshift ward the place had become and felt whatever humor he was sharing with Ezra dissipate at the sight of so many wounded. He understood now why Ezra had been wearing such a grim expression on his face when he had first stepped onto the deck.

From where he was standing, Nathan could see Buck Wilmington holding a bedside vigil next to Louisa Perkins who was still unconscious after sustaining serious wounds when the operations centre caved in. Buck was already grieving for Audrey King who was killed shortly after saving his life. The big man did not take death well and the loss of the brave colonel affected him deeply. Nathan gestured at Ezra to follow him and the two friends joined the third member of their set to offer moral support as well as affirmation that Buck had friends who would endure this crisis with him.

"How is she Buck?" Nathan announced himself and Ezra by inquiring.

Buck looked up at them, his eyes hollow with worry. Louisa’s skin was pale with an unhealthy translucence. She seemed a far cry from the fiery captain capable of standing up to Mary and giving the rebel commander as good as she got. Louisa was a force of nature in her own right. She had thrown herself over Casey when the ceiling had come down in the operations center, attempting to protect the young woman from the debris. While she managed to accomplish that, it had been borne at considerable cost to herself.

"The medtech says she’s got a lot of internal damage. They think they got it all but they can’t be sure for a couple of hours." Buck's voice betrayed his anxiety and Nathan wished there was more he could do for Buck then offer moral support.

"She’s strong Buck," Nathan insisted. "She’ll pull through this."

"I know," Buck said with eternal optimism even if at the moment it had taken something of a beating. He was just glad to hear someone else thought the same. "It's hard seeing her like this. She's usually up and about trying to make everyone feel better about being here. I wonder who does things like that for the morale officer when she needs it."

"You do," Ezra said with a smile. "Did you not know?"

It was obvious to Ezra how much Louisa meant to Buck even though he knew almost nothing about their relationship other than the fact it existed. Ezra could not deny he was happy to see Buck was involved with somewhere else, because for a time their relationship had been a little strained due to his affair with Inez. Buck still had some proprietary feelings for the lady which though he tried hard to ignore was difficult to conceal around someone who read people as easily as Ezra. However, no such concerns filled Ezra's mind as he stood by Buck in this hour of need prepared to offer the friendship and support needed to make the man's burden a little easier to bear.

"I guess I did," Buck replied, feeling a little better.

"Hey flyboy," a weak voice suddenly spoke and captured their attention. Roused by all the voice overhead, Louisa was prompted into consciousness once more. Her emerald eyes fluttered open weakly and her voice sounded alien after speaking.

"Darling!" Buck turned to her immediately, dropping to his knees next to her cot. He reached for her hand and clasped it tight, wanting her to know he was here and he would not leave her. With his touch he ensured her she was safe and everything would be all right. "You're awake! Goddamn it girl, what you doing scaring me like that?"

"Well I'm sorry," she muttered sarcastically, her eyes fixed on him with a faint smile. "You know how I like to be dramatic about things."

"Hey Louisa," Nathan stepped into her view. "Nice to see you're still with us."

"I almost wasn't," Louisa sighed painfully, still unable to focus on them clearly. "Is Casey alright?"

"She's fine," Buck said kissing her hand. "You saved her."

"I'm glad," she closed her eyes slowly, indicating she needed more rest and while nothing short of another Imperial fleet was going to tear Buck Wilmington from her side, Ezra and Nathan chose to make a discreet departure, allowing them some privacy.

"Before we got side tracked, I came to give you a status report," Nathan explained as they put some distance between themselves and Buck

Ezra flinched once more, needing to gain a little equilibrium at the heady pace of things. He was well and truly apart of the Alliance now, Ezra thought silently. "Go ahead." 

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked with concern, aware of how great a step this was Ezra. He felt guilty about how the Alliance had thrust this responsibility upon his old friend but Nathan had absolute faith it was a burden Ezra could bear. In fact, Nathan had always known Ezra was capable of it, even when Ezra did not.

"Yes," Ezra nodded. "This moments of disorientation will pass. Please continue."

"Josiah and JD are ready to leave for Jofa as per your instructions." Nathan informed him.

"Minimal complement?" Ezra asked, making sure his orders were followed to the letter. They had no idea whether or not Jofa was still occupied. The Empire made grandiose declarations about wiping out the entire Jofan race both air breathing and aquatic, however Ezra did not entirely believe it was true. If there were still sentient life on Jofa, they would be a great deal more receptive to overtures of an alliance without the intimidation of a large force attempting to make first contact.

"JD's taking Josiah in one of our fighters equipped with aquatic lungs." Nathan explained. "As you requested, they'll make a preliminary sweep of the undersea pavilions to detect any sentient life and then proceed to make contact."

"Good," Ezra nodded, pleased of that. "As much as it would lessen the complication if they are all wiped out, I would like to see them apart of this. Their race has suffered greatly, we should give them the opportunity to strike back."

As they made their way out of the observation deck, Ezra caught sight of Claire Moseley. The young woman was sitting at her husband side, holding his hand in much the same way as Buck had been doing to Louisa a short time ago. Seeing her there made Ezra yearn for Inez but he knew she was most likely doing what she could to help the wounded on board the ship. Claire's face corresponded with so many others he had seen since coming on board and the grim mood was like a dank smell wafting throughout the fleet. The news of Mary's capture had torn the heart out of them, Ezra included and it was a wound he could only heal by helping her command survive this and making them strong for it.

"How is Chris?" Ezra finally asked.

Nathan's gaze dropped to the ground and his shoulders seemed to sag a little. "Bad, Ezra. Really bad and it's not the wound."

"It  _is_  the wound," Ezra countered with a knowing sigh. "Just not the one we are able to see."

* * *

"I wish I could come with you Uncle Josiah," Casey Wells said unhappily as she accompanied her uncle to the flight deck where he would soon be embarking on another mission. This time he would be playing diplomat on Jofa and though the trip was meant to be merely reconnaissance at this time, she could not help feeling a little anxious at whether or not he would be in danger once more. After everything that happened in the last day, she feared for the safety of the people in her life.

So many faces she had become accustomed to over the past months were now gone, some were never coming back and others were wounded. Until now, she never realized how truly dangerous being apart of the Rebellion Alliance could be and what had happened in the last few hours was a rude awakening. She tried not to think about Audrey whom she had liked a great deal, who was always nice to her and did not treat her like a child. It hurt knowing that Audrey was dead and the pain she saw in Buck's eyes was reflected in her own. JD had told her Finn was also killed in the fighting and though he tried to be brave, Casey knew he felt responsible.

And then there was Mary and Casey could not even begin to broach that pain because it would strangle her whole and leave her weeping like a little girl.

"I won't be gone long Casey," Josiah answered warmly. "This is important if we are to establish a base in Jofa."

"I know," she smiled, having grown up a little in the past hours to be able to accept that some things must be. She had vowed after seeing he had come out of the battle unhurt that she would never give him reason to worry about her. "I just wished you didn't have to go that's all."

"Well I have to," he answered with a little smile as his big arms hugged her closer to him as they walked. "If not, you're not going to be able to rewire the communications system like you wanted to and make it so much better. Let's face it, after what you managed to decipher when the shield generator went down, there isn't a person on this base who's ever going to underestimate you again."

"I wish I had done it before all those people got hurt," Casey pouted, feeling no satisfaction when so many were dead or wounded.

"You did what you could and that is  _always_  enough," Josiah responded.

They entered the flight deck and immediately caught sight of JD who was preparing the fighter in the middle of the launch bay for departure. He was already garbed in his flight suit.

"Are you ready Josiah?" JD asked, glancing briefly in Casey's direction as they arrived at the ship.

"I am," Josiah nodded. "You have a spare flight suit?"

"Yeah, in one of the rear compartments." JD answered before Josiah rounded the ship, leaving JD alone with Casey.

Silence followed as they stared at each other, feeling awkward because they had both been given an unhealthy dose of growing up today and were still reeling from its effects. Casey knew she was glad he was alive and though she did not say it, she worried for him as much as Uncle Josiah, though why she should care about a peasant was beyond her sometimes.

"I'm sorry about Finn," JD volunteered after a moment. "I know you liked him."

Casey met his gaze, wondering what he meant by that. "Sure I liked him, he was a friend."

"I mean as more than a friend," JD said gingerly and received an odd stare from her.

"As more than a friend?" She asked puzzled. "JD, what are you talking about?"

"I know you liked him Casey!" JD exclaimed with exasperation. Why did she have to make things so difficult?

"Are you sure you're alright?" Casey stared at him in sarcasm. "There was nothing between me and Finn. Why would you think that?"

"It isn't important," JD sig hed and realized it wasn't really. What mattered was they were okay and they would survive this black day. "I'm just real glad you're safeCasey."

Casey softened, seeing the extent of his feelings in his eyes. "Me too JD." She smiled and thought he looked so handsome in his flight suit. For a peasant, she could not resist thinking playfully.

JD swallowed hard, summing up the courage to lean over and kiss her lightly on the cheek when suddenly, Josiah's voice sang out in his ear.

"Are you ready to go,  _lieutenant_?"

JD looked over his shoulder and saw Josiah staring at him. The expression on the senator's face appeared stormy to say the least and JD winced. Somehow, he got the feeling that it was going to be a  _long_  flight to Jofa.

* * *

It was strange how liberating it was to know one was going to die because it took away all the mundane concerns that plagued one's life and put things in its proper perspective.

As Mary languished in her cell alone, fully aware that with each second, the sands of her life were running out, she looked back upon her existence with a sense of quiet satisfaction. She had done a great deal of what she had set out to do and though it appeared there were some points upon which she would always grieve, her existence had largely been full to the brim with all the important things. She had loved two men in her life and she had borne a son who would carry her in his heart and ensure her immortality in some distant way. She stood up for what she believed and was unafraid of fighting for those principles no matter what the personal cost. She had friends who would miss her passing but they would go on without her, and that gave Mary some peace.

She had avoided thinking too much about Chris Larabee for that would only bring pain and there was quite enough of that going around at the moment, _thank you very much_. She felt him in her heart already, felt his pain and anguish over what she had done but she knew the feeling would pass as time went on and he would survive. Chris was a survivor, no matter how much he may brood at times. Mary knew she was making this positive account of her life because it was coming to a close.

Since her capture, she had been deposited inside this cell and had seen no one. She knew despite her relatively good treatment on board the  _Chimaera_ , this state of affairs would not last indefinitely. Thrawn had shown her that he was a man of his word as well as an officer of true character for she was treated as a prisoner or war, not someone charged with sedition, which would usually engender harsh treatment by a lesser person.

Her ruminations cut short when the doors to her cell slid open and Mary found herself no longer alone for the first time in days (?), she could not be certain since the hours seemed to bleed endlessly into one another after awhile. Thrawn entered her cell and in the flesh he was almost as imposing as he had been through the view screen of the  _Purgatory_. He was a handsome man with deeply intelligent eyes and though he appeared in every respect human, his eyes were a crimson  color and his skin was a shade of indigo. For the life of her, she could not place what race he might have originated from because Mary had never seen anything like him.

"Commander Travis," Thrawn said lowering himself onto the bunk bed across from where she was. "I wish we had met under different circumstances."

"Thank you," Mary answered graciously. As a prisoner, she had been acquitted with respect and dignity he was not required to provide. She saw no reason to be rude under such circumstances. Besides, she was still a soldier and so she would accept he had taken the field this day. "I appreciate you kept your word in regards to my wounded."

"They can be someone else’s problem," Thrawn answered. "You were mine and all that I was primarily concerned with."

Mary did not know how to take that and so she did not respond, allowing him to continue with what he had come here to say.

"We will shortly be arriving at Coruscant," Thrawn announced, watching her reaction.

Mary was unsuprised by the news. She expected it. "I take it that much has been made by my capture?"

"Consider yourself a subject of public relations," Thrawn said with a little smile. "It was a challenge playing the game with you, my dear."

Mary let a sad smile cross her face. "I have a feeling I was outmatched." She had to give him that much because it was the truth. Thrawn had come after her and succeeded spectacularly in her capture. She respected a commander on the field worth his salt and she only regretted he was not on the side of the Alliance. "Although if opportunity ever put us on opposite ends of the field again, I think I might surprise you."

Thrawn was highly doubtful that she would ever leave Coruscant alive but there was no reason to be venomous. He could afford to be gracious in this instance. "I have no doubt of that," Thrawn responded with a slight bow. "You were a worthy adversary."

"As were you," Mary responded and knew it was the truth.

However, she could not help fearing how the Alliance would fare against Thrawn when she was gone. If Palpatine chose to set him loose again, Thrawn could devastate the rest of the Rebel Alliance as he had devastated the Siraj cell. It was too late for her now but she prayed that it would not be too late for her friends.

* * *

Buck Wilmington remained at Louisa’s side, long enough for the morale officer to drift back to sleep before he left her in the capable hands of the medical staff on the observation deck. Although she was weak, Buck knew she would recover. Louisa was strong and determined. He had no doubt she would be on her feet in no time, trying to perform the duty of making everyone feel better. He supposed that’s why he cared for her so much because in some ways, they were one and the same in that respect. Buck was sorry he did not get the chance to say goodbye to either Josiah or JD before they left the ship but there was something of more urgency that required his attention at present.

Like the rest of the fleet, Buck was still in muted shock over the capture of Mary Travis and more specifically the circumstances of that incarceration. Once again, Mary had risen to the occasion, sacrificing herself so the wounded rebels still trapped in the wreckage of the destroyed rebel base could be rescued.

Her loss hit them all hard and as he moved through the  _Angel of Mercy_ , he could see it on the faces of everyone he encountered. There was not a person on board who was unaffected on a personal level by what they endured today, but Mary’s capture seemed to make things even worse. It felt as if something had been torn from them and the gaping wound of her absence was still fresh and raw. Buck tried not to think about where Mary could be at this time, aware she was most likely on her way to Coruscant, no doubt to act as the centerpiece for some bit of Imperial propaganda, celebrating this victory over their enemies.

What the rest of the Alliance did not know, was how Mary had given herself up to the Empire because that was a secret known only by the seven.

Ezra had made that decision himself, deciding there was enough shock going through the fleet without them having to know that their leader had almost killed the Jedi in her company to make her sacrifice. The rest of the seven seemed to agree but that agreement did not make it any tolerable, even if they understood her reasoning. The consequences of what she had done did not seem so important in the light of her capture but Buck knew for Chris Larabee, it was a hell that no man should ever have to bear, let alone one who had already lost a wife and a child. Thus Buck found himself walking to the room where Chris was presently occupying, determined to pick up the pieces of his friend’s psyche, the way he had done when Sarah and Adam were killed.

Chris was placed in a private room, unlike the rest of the wounded at Vin’s request. This would be a good idea because only he had some idea of what Chris would be like when the man finally emerged from his Jedi trance. Buck arrived at the ward where the room was situated and found that he was correct in assuming the worst. Even as he made his way down the corridor, a handful of orderlies were hurrying towards a commotion, which found its center in Chris Larabee's room. Buck swore under his breath and hastened his pace, arriving just in time to see one orderly flying out of the room. The man landed heavily on the floor, uttering a groan as he impacted before sliding some ways across the smooth surface.

"Get everyone out of there!" Buck shouted at the medical personnel in the vicinity trying to regain control of the situation. Those who knew his relationship with Chris were wise enough to comply and very soon, Buck was wading through bodies moving away from the area. Medical droids were helping one or two medtechs to their feet. Their injuries were not severe but indicative of a misguided attempt to get in the way of a very enraged Jedi Knight. Unfortunately, this too, was nothing that Buck had not seen before.

Buck took a deep breath as he entered into Chris’s room. The Jedi was in the process of getting dressed and Buck could tell immediately why the medical staff was so determined to keep him on bed. The wound Mary had inflicted on Chris was severe and there was blood seeping through the gauze around his body. His color indicated that he was liable to collapse at any minute but there was enough adrenaline running through his body to ensure he was capable of being quite dangerous, even in his weakened state. He barely looked up at Buck when the pilot entered the room, continuing to dress even though his movements were strained and labored.

"Chris, what the hell are you doing?" Buck demanded, unable to believe Chris could be taking out his anger on innocent people trying to do their jobs.

"I’m going after her." Chris retorted, his hands shaking as he tried to secure the utility belt where he kept his light saber around his waist.

"So that’s why you’re taking it out on these people?" Buck accused; wondering where the hell Vin Tanner was in all this. He had thought he apprentice would not leave the Jedi’s side especially in light of what had happened.

"They tried to stop me from leaving," Chris answered as if that were explanation enough. "I have to go after her before its too late."

"Chris," Buck said gently. "It's already too late. She’s gone."

"Don't you say that!" Chris roared and glared sharply at Buck. The force of his rage sent Buck flying like a rag doll. The pilot slammed hard into the wall, his senses blurring with pain and for a moment, Buck thought he might lose consciousness but he knew he was very much aware because he could hear Chris shouting at him in rage. "She’s not gone! It’s not too late to save her! I won’t let her go! Not like Sarah and Adam! I couldn’t save them but I can save her!"

Buck opened his eyes and saw Chris breathing hard, sweat was glistening of his bare torso and Buck was certain that if Chris had really intended it, he would be dead. No, his old friend was angry and hurt, reacting in the only way he knew how but Buck could not let him continue this way. He would hurt himself and those around him. "You’ll get yourself killed." He muttered.

"Everybody dies," Chris growled. "Difference is choosing how you are going to go. I choose to do it saving Mary’s life. If I have to go through everyone, including the people here I will!  I won’t let them have her!"

"They already do Chris!" Buck shouted, feeling his own temper bubble inside of him. "They have her and nothing less than an armed assault is going to get her back! Even if you didn’t die on the way there, what makes you think you could reach her! It's suicide!"

"I’m not asking you to come with me!" Chris shouted angrily as he struggled over to where the rest of his clothes were situated. "You’re not a Jedi! You don’t even know what it is to love someone for more than a day! For you it’s one woman after another! It’s not so easy for me Buck! I love her and there’s no one else for me but her! Don’t expect me to sink to your level!"

"My level?" Buck glared at him; unable to believe Chris had actually said that. The words stung beyond belief especially because Chris had said it. "It’s got to be a hell of a lot better than where you are Chris, taking it out on everybody. You think you’re the only one who’s lost? How dare you!"

"Get out of my way Buck," Chris stared at him menacingly. "I’m going after her and no one is going to stop me. I didn’t ask for your help and I don’t want it! All you’ll do is get under my feet and I don’t have time to watch your back!"

"For your own good," Buck declared stepping forward, "I’m not going to let you do this, no matter how angry you get."

"You think you can stop me?" Chris looked at him derisively. "Come on Buck, make your play, I’ll indulge you because I’m leaving this ship one way or another."

"Don’t make me hurt you Chris," Buck pleaded, not wishing this to go where it was headed. As hurt as he was by Chris’s words, it was no different from how he had behaved when Sarah and Adam had died. Buck just had to ride out the storm.

"Hurt me?" Chris’s eyes met Buck’s sharply and there was a moment of concentration when suddenly Buck started to choke. His hand immediately clutched at his neck as he tried to loosen the invisible talons around his throat. Buck’s face turned red as his air passages were blocked and he began rasping for breath. He dropped to his knees as the panic set in and his body started reacting to the loss of air.

"That’s enough Chris." Vin Tanner’s voice cut quietly through the air.

Chris looked up in surprise and released his hold on Buck, realizing perhaps he had gone too far and was staggered by what he had almost done. He met Vin’s eyes with shame and horror but also with so much anguish Vin felt the same pain inside his own heart but none of it would absolve Chris.

"Buck," Vin went over to the pilot who was on his knees, "are you okay?"

It took a few second of harsh breathing before Buck was able to answer him. "Yeah," he met Chris’s eyes and saw that the Jedi was staring at him and it did not take much clairvoyance for Buck to know that the expression there was one of remorse. "I’m okay."

Vin helped Buck to his feet and then turned to Chris, "Buck can you please give me and Chris a moment alone?"

"Sure," Buck nodded, deciding there was nothing more he could do for Chris without provoking the Jedi’s anger even further. Although he was hurt by what happened, he understood Chris was in a great deal of pain and this episode was merely a splinter in comparison to what he had dealt with when Chris lost his family. Their friendship had remained intact after that and it still would, even after this.

"Good luck." Buck muttered softly before leaving Vin and him alone.

Vin did not speak until after Buck had left the room and he noted that Chris’s gaze was aimed away from his own, perhaps because he was too ashamed to look Vin in the eye after his behavior with Buck. Vin shut the door, sealing them both inside the room so no one else would get hurt in the crossfire. He saw Chris continuing to dress himself, with every intention of leaving to seek out Mary. As much as Vin believed in what he wanted to do, he was not allowing Chris to do this, not today.

"I don’t want to hear it." Chris said sharply as soon as they were alone.

"Hear what exactly?" The apprentice leaned against the wall, making no move to approach him. "That you just tried to hurt your oldest friend, that you’re harming people who only care about your welfare or the fact you are so wounded you can barely stand up. What exactly don't you wish to hear?"

"You are the last one to lecture me." Chris snorted.

"I am not going to lecture you but I’m not going to let you do this either." Vin retorted firmly. "She is my friend and she gave her life up so you would live. Now that means something to me even if you could not care less."

Chris stared at Vin in anger. "I never asked her to do that!"

"No, you didn’t," Vin returned. "But you lessen what she did by what you're intend to do!"

"Are you telling me to do nothing?" Chris demanded, unable to believe anyone could even suggest such a thing.

"No," Vin shook his head. "I wouldn't do that for anything. She is my friend and I want her back just as badly but you're cheapening her sacrifice by what you are doing right now. You need to rest and heal. When that’s done, we’ll think of a way to get her back."

"I can’t do that!" Chris said sharply. "I’ve got to go now."

"You can’t go now! You’re in no good to her the way you are! Even you’re not stupid enough to think you can get her back in your condition!" Vin snapped, holding nothing back.

"I DON’T CARE! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND! I CAN STILL FEEL HER!" Chris screamed. "I feel her inside of me. She’s scared Vin. She’s never been scared in her life and I want to protect her! I want to make it stop! I promised myself I would never let anyone harm her and now she’s in their hands where they’ll parade her like an animal just before the slaughter! I won’t let her suffer that humiliation and I can’t let her go through that with her inside my head. I don’t want to know what it was like to feel her die! If I don’t help her now that is exactly what will happen! I don’t want to know what it feels like to have the life of someone I love die inside my head, not again!"

Vin swallowed hard as the last vestiges of Chris’s composure started to crumble and the Jedi slumped to the floor as if that admission had taken all the strength out of his body. "Why did she do it Vin?" Chris cried out as his voice broke into a sob. "Why did she do it! I would have protected her! I would rather have died than let her do what she did!"

"I don’t know Chris," Vin answered softly, his own voice cracking a little when he went to his friend and joined Chris on the floor. He had asked these same questions when Charlotte had taken his place fighting Vader. She died for him. Vin still did not know how to deal with that. Of course it was a thousand times worse for Chris because he loved Mary where Vin’s affection for Charlotte had since faded away. "I guess because she probably loves you as much you love her and she also thought living without you is just as unimaginable as what you’re feeling now."

"God Vin," Chris sobbed visibly, having neither the energy nor the inclination to keep his sobs from escaping him. His body shuddered as he wept and Vin remained where he was, saying nothing and letting Chris to deal with his anger as well as his sorrow. "How could she think that this was a good decision for either of us?"

"She’s only human Chris," Vin answered. "And in loving someone, you make mistakes trying to do what’s best but Mary saved not only you but everyone else by what she did and we’ve got to make her sacrifice mean something. You have to heal Chris, if not for yourself then for Mary, because we’ll need you when we try to get her back."

Chris wiped the tears from his eyes and met Vin’s sympathetic gaze. "I’m sorry Vin. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It just hurts so badly I can’t stand it."

"I know," Vin nodded in understanding as he embraced his friend. "I know and I swear I’ll take on Coruscant and the entire galaxy alongside you if it means getting her back. While you’re recovering I’ll see to it that no one gives up on Mary, I won’t let them. I promise you that Chris."

Chris knew that when Vin made a promise, he kept it. He had seen first hand what lengths the apprentice would go to ensure that. "Thank you Vin," Chris whispered softly. "Thank you."

Vin did not know if getting Mary back was at all possible but at this moment, he was willing to say anything because Chris needed to believe it.

And hopefully, wherever she was; Mary would hear him and she would believe it too.

 

**NOT THE END**


End file.
